Trump Won’t Rule Out Military Action in Greenland, Panama in Fiery Press Conference

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to rule out using the U.S. military to acquire Greenland or the Panama Canal, ideas he has repeatedly floated since winning the election.

“It might be that you’ll have to do something,” Trump said during an hourlong press conference at Mar-a-Lago when asked about whether he would vow to not use the military. “I can’t assure you—you’re talking about Panama and Greenland—no, I can’t assure you on either of those two. But I can say this: We need them for economic security.”

He threatened to hit Denmark with tariffs “at a very high level” if the country refuses to give over Greenland to the U.S., and questioned whether Denmark has any legal right over the Arctic island. “People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up, because we need it for national security,” Trump said. Officials in Denmark and Greenland have said that the island is not for sale; Panama’s president has said that the Panama Canal is also not for sale. Trump has suggested that he might seek to regain control of the waterway, which was handed over to Panama in 1999 under a treaty brokered by then-President Jimmy Carter, who passed away Dec. 29. Trump has long criticized the agreement, claiming that Panama has “overcharged” the U.S. for access to the canal and that the country’s control of such a critical global chokepoint is harmful to American interests.

Trump has offered few details on his apparent goals for territorial expansion, but his comments on Tuesday presented the clearest picture yet of how he envisions reshaping the U.S. geopolitical landscape. Trump also quipped that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state, but vowed not to use military force—only economic force—to put pressure on the country. “That would really be something,” Trump said. “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 also vowed to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America—“a beautiful name,” he said—and promised to impose significant tariffs on Mexico and Canada. 

The press conference, which took place one day after Congress formally certified his victory, marked Trump’s second since he won the Nov. 5 election. He began his remarks by announcing a multibillion-dollar plan to build data centers across the U.S. bankrolled by investors from Dubai, an effort he called a “great thing” for American growth in artificial intelligence and technology. And with less than two weeks until Trump takes office for his second term, he made a final plea for Hamas to release the hostages kidnapped after the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel. Trump warned that “all hell will break out” if the roughly 100 hostages are not released before his inauguration on Jan. 20. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, said at the press conference that he believes they are “on the verge” of securing the hostages’ release.

But the mood shifted as Trump pivoted to familiar territory: complaining about his political rivals, particularly President Joe Biden, and attacking the legal challenges he faces from various investigations.

His remarks showcased a President-elect determined to erase what he sees as obstacles to his agenda before he steps into the Oval Office. “We are inheriting a difficult situation from the outgoing administration, and they’re trying everything they can to make it more difficult,” Trump said. He criticized Biden’s final weeks in office, particularly an executive action to halt oil and gas drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. coastal waters. “I’m going to put it back on day one,” Trump pledged.

Trump’s remarks came as he’s due to be sentenced in the New York hush-money trial on Friday after he was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in May, and as he’s fighting to block the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s final report on findings into separate criminal cases. During the press conference, Aileen Cannon, the federal judge who handled Trump’s classified documents case, temporarily barred Smith from releasing his final report on the investigation to the public.

Trump attacked Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the New York case, calling him “crooked.” (Merchan has signaled that Trump will not receive jail time at the sentencing on Friday.) And Trump railed against Smith, calling him a “deranged individual.” Smith dismissed his two federal cases against Trump after he won the election. 

Trump also confirmed that he is considering pardons for many of the people convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, including some individuals charged with violent offenses. “People that were doing some bad things weren’t prosecuted, and people that didn’t even walk into the building are in jail right now. So, we’ll be looking at the whole thing. But I’ll be making major pardons, yes,” Trump said. His promise to pardon riot defendants has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that it would embolden extremist elements and undermine the legal process.