President-Elect Trump Calls for the US to Buy Greenland
President-Elect Trump Calls for the US to Buy Greenland
President-elect Donald Trump has once again called for the US to buy Greenland from Denmark, re-engaging in similar failed calls he made during his first term.
In Trump’s announcement of his administration’s ambassador to Denmark, Trump wrote: “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
The call for the US to acquire Greenland came immediately after the President-elect said that the United States could “retake” control of the Panamal Canal, sparking controversy with Panama and Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Besides the call to buy Greenland, Trump has called Canada the 51st state
Trump’s discourse has become more spirited, as he has referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as governor of the “Great State of Canada.”
Greenland is the largest island in the world. It is situated between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, and 80 percent of its territory is covered in ice. Presumably, Trump’s interest in the island has to do with the large military US base located there.
The island gained home rule from Denmark in 1979, and the head of its government, Múte Bourup Egede, has already said that Trump’s latest comments regarding Greenland are as meaningless as the ones he made during his first administration.
President-elect Trump calls for the purchase of Greenland:
"For purposes of national security and freedom, the US feels that the ownership of Greenland is a necessity." pic.twitter.com/KOHox5N0XT
— The American Conservative (@amconmag) December 23, 2024
Egede proclaimed, “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale.”
“We must not lose our years-long fight for freedom,” he added.
Trump’s relationship with Denmark has been icy, as, in 2019, the President-elect canceled a visit to Denmark after his offer to buy Greenland was rejected and dismissed by the central government in Copenhagen.
Trump clashed with Panama President José Raúl Mulino and Colombian President Gustavo Petro
Over the weekend, former President Trump also sparked controversy in Latin America after he implied that the US was getting ripped off in the Panama Canal. The United States built the canal in the early 20th century but fully relinquished control of it to Panama on December 31, 1999 in the final phase of a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977.
President Trump said, “If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.”
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded with a video on social media saying that: “Every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama, and will continue to.”
On Truth Social, Trump replied: “We’ll see about that!”
Additionally, Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying that he would stand with Panama and the defense of its sovereignty regardless of the consequences.
Hasta las últimas consecuencias estaré al lado de Panamá y la defensa de su soberanía.
Si el nuevo gobierno de EEUU quiere hablar de negocios, hablaremos de negocios, de tú a tú, y en beneficio de nuestros pueblos, pero jamás, se negociará la dignidad.
El presidente Trump se ha…
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) December 22, 2024
Petro also said that if the incoming US administration wanted to talk about business, they would talk as equals and for the benefit of their own people. He added that dignity would not be negotiated.