US president-elect Donald Trump made a series of sweeping claims on what his policies could look like when he takes office on 20 January. In his recent speech in Florida, as he prepares to take office, Mr. Trump has talked repeatedly not just about the Panama Canal, but also about Greenland, Canada, tariffs and the offshore oil and gas drilling.
Suggesting that the US should reclaim the Panama Canal, Trump argued it was essential for strengthening national security.
Mr Trump repeated also one of his favourite phrases from the campaign trail, “drill, baby, drill”.
On Monday, outgoing President Biden moved to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling with the aim to protect the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Northern Bering Sea from offshore drilling.
But Mr Trump, who has vowed to boost domestic energy production, said he will reverse it immediately.
Meanwhile, he declared that Greenland is vital to American national security. “We need Greenland for national security purposes. Denmark should give it up as we need it for security purposes.”
His remarks came as his son, Donald Trump Jr, visited Greenland.
Before arriving by private jet in Greenland, Trump said his son Don Jr and various representatives were going on a trip to Greenland, but he didn’t disclose if there were any meetings planned with governmental officials.
“My son, Don Jr, and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights. Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World,” he said.
The remarks came during a news conference on Tuesday, January 7, where Trump covered a wide range of topics.
He didn’t add any further detail around Greenland – which he has recently suggested the US should own or control.
Mr Trump also criticised the Jimmy Carter for his role in giving the Panama Canal to Panama. In a series of social media posts, Trump said that: “When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar, during his term in office, it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else.”
“Those days are over. It was a mistake to give the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is under discussion,” Trump noted.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that “borders must not be moved by force” but he did not refer to Trump by name.
Panama’s foreign minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez made his country’s position clear after the American president-elect mused aloud about retaking the canal.
“The sovereignty of our canal is nonnegotiable and is part of our history of struggle and an irreversible conquest,” Mr. Martínez-Acha said. “Let it be clear: The canal belongs to the Panamanians and it will continue to be that way.”
Panamanian president José Raul Mulino ruled out negotiations with Donald Trump over control of the Panama Canal, denying that there are Chinese soldiers stationed at the Panama Canal.
In a Christmas day message, Trump wished a merry Christmas to “the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal” and “making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in ‘repair’ money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about anything.”
Trump has also said he did not want the Panama Canal “falling into the wrong hands” and specifically cited China.
But Mulino refused the accusation in a recent press conference, saying there is no truth to the claim Chinese soldiers are operating the canal.
Mulino said that there is “absolutely no Chinese interference.”
Meanwhile, Trump denied a media report that outlines how his top aides are considering narrowing his tariff plan that would only apply to specific critical imports.
In an article the newspaper reported that the president-elect was considering scaling back his plan to apply tariffs to all imports and to impose them only on certain sectors – a significant shift from his plans during the 2024 presidential campaign.
As it is reported, Trump’s aides were discussing applying tariffs on certain critical sectors and targeting the list of items to those where there are national or economic security concerns, the story said, citing three familiar sources with the matter.
Trump said the story quoting so-called anonymous sources, which don’t exist, incorrectly states that his tariff policy will be pared back. “That is wrong” he said and characterised the story as “another example of fake news.”
Furthermore, Trump also floated the idea of turning Canada into a U.S. state, mentioning characteristically that “if Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be totally secure from the threat of the Russian and Chinese ships that are constantly surrounding them.”
