‘Hell will break loose’: Trump hints at military moves in Mideast, Americas
United States President-elect Donald Trump has hinted at possible military intervention in the Americas and the Middle East, as well as other items on his foreign policy agenda, during a wide-ranging news conference in Florida.
Trump spoke from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Tuesday, a day after Congress officially certified his victory in November’s general elections. The news conference also comes just 13 days before Trump is set to the oath of office for his second term on January 20.
The president-elect touched on several domestic subjects, pledging to roll back environmental restrictions and pardon supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
But his most consequential statements concerned foreign policy. Trump expounded on a sweeping expansionist vision, with consequences for countries across the world.
He repeated his desire for US control of the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada, while emphasising that “all hell will break out” if captives held in Gaza are not released before he takes office.In one exchange with reporters, Trump was asked if he would rule out the use of military force or economic coercion to take control of the Panama Canal or Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. He refused.
“I’m not going to commit to that,” Trump said. He then pivoted to the canal, an arterial trade route that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country.”
He later added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes.”
Eyes on Canada
Trump also made bold statements about his intentions towards Canada, one of the US’s largest trading partners.
The country shares a 8,891-kilometre (5,525-mile) border with the US, and Trump in recent weeks has suggested it should become the US’s 51st state.
But during Tuesday’s press conference, he ruled out using military force against Canada, which has traditionally been a close ally — though not “economic force”.
“You get rid of the artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what it looks like, and it would also be much better for national security,” Trump said, referring to the US-Canada border.
