US President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out the use of military or economic force to implement his ambitions to control the Panama Canal and the island of Greenland. He also announced that he would impose large customs duties on Mexico and Canada, and would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
In a press conference held on Tuesday, Trump was asked if he could assure the world that he would not use military or economic force to control the Panama Canal and Greenland. He said, “I cannot assure you. You are talking about Panama and Greenland. No, I cannot assure you anything.” “about them.”
“But I can say this: we need them for economic security,” he continued. He added, “I will not announce my commitment to that (refrain from military action). We may have to do something.”
At the same time, the US President-elect – who takes office on January 20 – pledged to use economic force against neighboring Canada, which he calls for to be annexed to the United States.
When asked if he would use military force, Trump said, “No, economic force.”
He added, “The merger of Canada and the United States would be a positive step. Imagine what the situation would look like when this artificially drawn line was eliminated. It would also be much better in terms of national security.”
Trump stated during the press conference – which he held at his private resort, “Mar-a-Lago” in Florida – that he would seek to impose “very strict” tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
Regarding the immigration issue, the US President-elect stated, “Mexico must stop allowing millions of people to flow into our country.”
Trump also announced that he would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to “America’s Gulf,” which he said would have a “beautiful effect.”
The Gulf of Mexico is located in the southeast of the North American continent, and its waters are connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Florida Strait, which separates the Florida Peninsula from the island of Cuba.
Also in his statements to reporters, Trump called on members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to increase their defense spending to constitute 5% of gross domestic product, repeating his accusations of paying less than they should.
“They can all afford it, but the percentage should be 5%, not 2%,” he said.