The president-elect is resurrecting fruitless proposals from his first term for the United States to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allies with whom he is picking conflicts even before taking office on January 20.
In a Sunday announcement designating his ambassador to Denmark, Trump stated, “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland comes after the president-elect suggested over the weekend that the United States may regain control of the Panama Canal if nothing is done to reduce soaring shipping costs associated with using the waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific seas.
He has also suggested that Canada become the 51st state of the United States, referring to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the “governor” of the “Great State of Canada.”
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, said Trump’s tweaking of friendly countries resembles an aggressive attitude he utilized in business.
“You ask for something unreasonable, and you’re more likely to get something less unreasonable,” said Farnsworth, who also wrote the book “Presidential Communication and Character.”
Greenland is the world’s largest island, situated between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. It is 80% covered in ice and contains a significant US military base. In 1979, it acquired home rule from Denmark. Múte Bourup Egede, the country’s head of government, believes Trump’s recent appeals for U.S. authority are as useless as those made during his first term.
“Greenland is ours.” “We are not and will never be for sale,” he declared in a statement. “We must not lose our years-long fight for freedom.”
The Danish Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the government is “looking forward to welcoming the new American ambassador.” And the government is eager to engage with the next administration.”
“In a complex security political situation as the one we currently experience, transatlantic cooperation is crucial,” according to the statement. It stated that it has no remark on Greenland other than that it “is not for sale, but open for cooperation.”
Trump canceled a 2019 visit to Denmark after Copenhagen rejected his offer to buy Greenland, which ultimately fell through.
He also stated Sunday that the United States is being “ripped off” at the Panama Canal.
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question,” he told the crowd.
Panama President José Raúl Mulino stated in a video that “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to,” but Trump retorted on social media with “We’ll see about that!”.
The president-elect also uploaded a photo of a US flag planted in the canal zone, with the caption, “Welcome to the United States Canal!”
The United States built the canal in the early 1900s but handed over management to Panama on December 31, 1999, per a 1977 contract signed by President Jimmy Carter.
The canal relies on reservoirs, which were struck by droughts in 2023, forcing it to significantly restrict the number of daily crossing slots. With fewer ships, authorities increased the fees shippers pay to reserve canal spaces.
The Greenland and Panama crises came after Trump recently posted that “Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State” and offered an image of himself placed on a peak observing surrounding region alongside a Canadian flag.
Trudeau said that Trump was joking about annexing his country, but the two recently met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to discuss Trump’s threat to levy a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports.
“Canada is not going to become part of the United States, but Trump’s comments are more about leveraging what he says to get concessions from Canada by putting Canada off balance, particularly given the precarious current political environment in Canada,” Farnsworth said CBC. “Maybe claim a win on trade concessions, a tighter border or other things.”
He stated that the scenario is identical to Greenland.
“What Trump wants is to win,” Farnsworth remarked. “And even if the American flag doesn’t raise over Greenland, Europeans may be more willing to say yes to something else because of the pressure.”