Trump suggests he could use military force to acquire Panama Canal and Greenland and 'economic force' to annex Canada
President-elect Donald Trump suggested Tuesday he would consider using military force to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, and "economic force" to acquire Canada.
President-elect Donald Trump suggested Tuesday he would consider using military force to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, and "economic force" to acquire Canada.
During a free-wheeling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump was asked by a reporter if he could assure the public that he would not use military coercion against Panama or Greenland, a goal he has floated in recent weeks. “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two, but I can say this, we need them for economic security,” Trump said. He said later that he would not use military force against Canada, only "economic force."
“That would really be something,” Trump said of the United States' taking control of Canada.
“You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like. And it would also be much better for national security,” Trump said. “They’re great, but we’re spending hundreds of billions here to protect it.” Trump said that the subsidies include substantial military support and that the United States loses out through trade deficits.
It’s not immediately clear which funds Trump was referring to, but he has frequently complained about Canada and other NATO allies' not paying enough for defense spending. The United States and Canada also have a shared military alliance through North American Aerospace Defense Command.
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