OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:53 PM – Wednesday, January 8, 2025
President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed support for taking control of Greenland and the Panama Canal for both economic and U.S. defense purposes.
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Greenland is located northeast of Canada and would be an important defense base for the United States, sandwiching Europe and Asia.
“We need Greenland for our national security,” President Trump said Tuesday. “What I'm talking about is defending the free world. You look out – you don't even need binoculars – you look out. Chinese ships are everywhere. Russian ships are everywhere. We won't let that happen. We won't let that happen.
The United States already has military bases in Greenland, and President Trump has been adamant since his first term that securing the Arctic is an absolute “necessity” amid continued expansionist efforts by China and Russia. I've been insisting.
John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, said U.S. leaders have expressed an interest in gaining control of Greenland for more than a century, so Trump's efforts are not new. He explained.
The Northern Sea Route, which passes through Greenland and Russia, has become a viable major shipping route, and U.S. officials are alarmed as Russia and China use it to increase their presence in the North Atlantic. are.
“Therefore, it is important who holds the defense capability for the entire Arctic,” Bolton said. “In particular, global warming has made the famous Northwest Passage a reality, and China is interested in becoming a world power.”
Relations between Greenland's semi-autonomous government and the Danish government have also become increasingly strained in recent years, and President Trump could use this as leverage.
In addition to considering national security interests, President Trump may also look to the rich natural resources associated with the frozen island, which holds natural gas, oil, and high-dollar mineral deposits.
Meanwhile, outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed back against President Trump's initiative, saying, “That's not going to happen.”
“The ideas expressed regarding Greenland are clearly not good ones,” Blinken said. “Perhaps more importantly, it's clearly not going to happen, so we probably shouldn't waste a lot of time talking about it.”
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede also rejected President Trump's call to acquire the land. “We are not and never will be for sale. We must not lose our age-old struggle for freedom,” Egede wrote in a Facebook post in December. Ta.
President Trump has also expressed an interest in regaining control of the Panama Canal, accusing Panama of “cheating” the United States to take advantage of the Central American route. The United States was responsible for completing construction of the canal from 1904 to 1914. But former Democratic President Jimmy Carter, who died last month, had renounced ownership of the United States.
The Panama Canal serves as an important passageway for the United States, with about 40% of U.S. container ships passing through it at “exorbitant prices,” according to President Trump.
President Trump has also accused China of “illegally operating” the canal, prompting an aggressive stance toward potentially taking it back.
“The Panama Canal is extremely important to our country. China runs it. China! And we gave it to Panama. We didn't give it to China, and they misused it. They misused that gift. It should never have been made,” President Trump said.
“We gave it away for $1, but there was a deal that they had to treat us fairly. They don't treat us fairly. They charge more for our ships than they charge our ships. They charge our navy more than they charge other countries' navies,” Trump added.
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