Trump trades isolationism for expansionism — possibly with military force

White House

Trump trades isolationism for expansionism — possibly with military force

The president-elect wants to annex Greenland and regain control of the Panama Canal.

Trump contemplates taking Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal

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By Megan Messerly and Lisa Kashinsky

01/07/2025 02:41 PM EST

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President-elect Donald Trump isn’t ruling out using military force as he seeks to annex Greenland and regain control over the Panama Canal.

The extraordinary remarks, which came during a wide-ranging press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, represent the latest evolution of Trump’s “America First” agenda from the isolationist approach of his first term to a more interventionist one, seeking to annex new territory and stamp America’s name around the world. They foreshadow the dramatic and transformational effect that Trump’s second presidency could have globally — and have already forced other world leaders to respond.

“Since we won the election, a couple of months since we won the election, the whole perception of the whole world is different. People from other countries have called me, ‘Thank you. Thank you,’” Trump said. “We’re going to have to settle some big problems that are going on right now.”

The president-elect will enter office later this month with wars raging in Ukraine and in the Middle East, and with Russia and China continuing to ramp up their strategic positions on the global stage. He comes with promises of a robust set of tariffs likely to put the U.S. at odds with most of the rest of the world, including its neighbors in Mexico and Canada.

Trump on Tuesday doubled down on his interest in annexing both Greenland and Canada, both for strategic and economic reasons. He promised that he wouldn’t use military force, only economic pressure, to make Canada the 51st U.S. state but didn’t make the same promise regarding Greenland.

Tapping into his personal history of slapping his name on his buildings, Trump pledged in his press conference to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”

Trump attributed his seemingly remarkable shift in worldview to the changed geopolitical landscape between his tenures as president. He claimed that in his first administration, he “defeated ISIS” and “had no wars.” Now, he said, he is returning to power with “a world that is burning.”

While many of the president-elect’s foreign policy promises appear incongruous with his long-held domestic-first mentality, Trump argued repeatedly on Tuesday that these moves are all in the interest of national security and economic prosperity.

His remarks come as members of his family and incoming administration are fanning out across the globe to sow the seeds of a more global MAGA agenda. Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect’s son, made an unofficial visit to Greenland on Tuesday with longtime Trump allies Segior Gor and Charlie Kirk to film content for a podcast. He is not scheduled to attend any meetings with Greenlandic government officials.

Trump has long favored buying the autonomous territory — which is not only of strategic importance to the U.S. but comes with abundant natural resources, including rare earth minerals — from Denmark and last attempted to do so in 2019.

“The people [of Greenland] are going to probably vote for independence or to come into the United States,” Trump predicted.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, in response to Trump Jr.’s visit, forcefully pushed back on the idea that the territory is for sale, saying Tuesday that “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.”

“On one hand, I am pleased regarding the rise in American interest in Greenland,” Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster TV 2. “But of course it is important that it takes place in a way where it is the Greenlanders’ decision, what their future holds.”

Meanwhile, the president-elect threatened that “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if a hostage release is not negotiated between Israel and Hamas by the time he takes office in less than two weeks.

Trump: 'All hell will break out' if there's no hostage deal before his return

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“It will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone,” he added.

Trump’s announced special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff — fresh off a trip to Doha, Qatar — said in a brief appearance alongside the president-elect that negotiators are “on the verge” of a deal to release Israeli hostages. Witkoff attributed that progress to Trump.

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“His stature, what he says he expects, the red lines he’s put out there — that’s driving this negotiation,” he said.

Trump also reiterated his interest in retaking control of the Panama Canal and blasted former President Jimmy Carter’s decision to transfer control of the canal to Panama for $1.

The remarks took on even greater significance this week as Carter lies in state in the Capitol Rotunda and as U.S. and foreign dignitaries gather for his funeral at the National Cathedral on Thursday.

Trump said he “liked” Carter “as a man” but was “strongly against” the former president’s decision to relinquish control.

Even as he flirted with a U.S. takeover of Canada, Trump weighed in with who he thinks should take over as the country’s next prime minister, with Justin Trudeau stepping aside, saying he suggested to hockey legend Wayne Gretzky that he should toss his hat into the ring.

In Trump’s retelling of the conversation between the two men, Gretzky replied by asking whether he’d be running for prime minister — or governor.

“Let’s make it governor,” Trump told him. “I like it better.”

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