Why Trump wants to take over Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal

In the final weeks before Donald Trump returns to the White House, the focus of his public remarks has been on acquiring Canada, Greeland and the Panama Canal.

In the final weeks before Donald Trump returns to the White House, the focus of his public remarks has not been about the confirmations of his Cabinet picks or on key parts of his campaign agenda like mass deportations or lowering prices. 

Instead, Trump — who has criticized U.S. military involvement in other countries — is advocating for America to gain more global territory, including by force, if necessary. Call it his annexation agenda.

In recent days, Trump has repeatedly pushed the idea that he will take over Greenland from Denmark, reclaim the Panama Canal after the United States returned it to the Panamanian government decades ago and absorb Canada into the United States. Trump said he is keeping the option of using the military to gain control of Greenland and the Panama Canal on the table while saying he will exert “economic force” to pressure Canada to join the United States. He has also said he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Denali, North America’s tallest peak.

Panamanian, Danish and Canadian leaders have all shot down Trump’s wishes, with responses ranging from no to not “a snowball’s chance in hell.”

Trump’s willingness to provoke longtime U.S. allies and throw out unexpected demands gives a glimpse of the domestic, and global, shakeup he hopes to accomplish. Democrats and Republicans who spoke to NBC News, including close Trump allies, said some of his recent demands are serious and some are ways to gain leverage for other parts of his agenda, while others are just trolling. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-take-canada-greenland-panama-canal-rcna186591

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