U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, on Jan. 7.Scott Olson/Getty Images
Foreign Policy, January 8, 2025
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump promoted a hard expansionist foreign-policy agenda during a major press conference at his Mar-a-Lago home on Tuesday that has caused consternation among some of America’s closest foreign allies.
Trump refused to rule out using economic or military force to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal. “We need them for economic security,” Trump said, doubling down on previous claims that U.S. ownership is vital to national security. Greenland is home to a treasure trove of rare-earth metals and other natural resources, and the Panama Canal serves as one of the world’s busiest thoroughfares for commercial shipping.
Trump has suggested that he would impose tariffs on NATO ally Denmark, which oversees Greenland as an autonomous region, if Copenhagen refuses his purchase offer. In response, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated that Greenland is not for sale. “I don’t think it’s a good way forward to fight each other with financial means when we are close allies and partners,” Frederiksen said.
Panamanian authorities, which oversee the canal, also pushed back against Trump’s threats. “The only hands that control the canal are Panamanian, and that’s how it will continue to be,” Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez said. Last month, Trump falsely accused Panama City of overcharging U.S. ships and allowing Chinese soldiers to control the route.
Trump said he also intends to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” inspiring far-right U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to announce that she plans to introduce legislation to do so. Mexican authorities immediately denounced the move, and President Claudia Sheinbaum joked that a large swath of North America should be changed to “America Mexicana” to represent the region’s history of exploration and colonization.
Trump also took aim at Canada, criticizing its government for allowing undocumented migrants and fentanyl to enter the United States. Immigration was a key concern of Trump’s presidential campaign, and he has vowed to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada during his first day in office to help curb border crossings. The president-elect also lamented the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, characterizing it as a “subsidy” that Washington gives its northern neighbor.
Having suggested numerous times in recent weeks that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state, Trump was asked by a reporter whether he would consider using military force to annex the sovereign country. He ruled that out but said he would potentially use “economic force” to do so.
Canadian officials have previously downplayed Trump’s statements about making their country part of the United States, saying he was just joking, but they seem to be taking his Tuesday comments more seriously. “President-elect Trump’s comments show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country,” Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly wrote on X. “We will never back down in the face of threats.”
“The joke is over,” Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said, adding that such rhetoric from Trump is “becoming very counterproductive.”
Other U.S. allies aren’t laughing, either. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rebuked Trump’s expansionist remarks and said he had discussed them with other European leaders. “Borders must not be moved by force. This principle applies to every country, whether in the East or the West. In talks with our European partners, there is an uneasiness regarding recent statements from the US. It is clear: We must stand together,” Scholz wrote on X.
Also during the Tuesday press conference, Trump repeated his threat that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if Hamas militants do not release the remaining Israeli hostages by the time that he takes office on Jan. 20. “It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good frankly for anyone,” Trump added. Around 100 captives are believed to still be in Gaza, a third of whom experts believe to be dead.
The president-elect’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, joined cease-fire and hostage release talks in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday to push for an end to the 15-month war in Gaza. He joined outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden’s top Middle East advisor, Brett McGurk, to push for a truce deal, just days after Israeli negotiators returned to Doha for another round of talks. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that negotiators are “very close to a cease-fire and hostage release agreement,” adding, “I hope that we can get it over the line in the time that we have left.”