'Vital For National Security,' Says US President-Elect Donald Trump, Refusing To Rule Out Use Of Military Force To Seize Control Of Panama Canal & Greenland

Washington: President-elect  Donald Trump  on Tuesday said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he declared that US control of both is vital to American national security.

Speaking to reporters less than two weeks before he assumes office and as a delegation of aides and advisers that includes Donald Trump junior is in Greenland, Trump left open the use of the American military to secure both territories.

About US President-Elect Donald Trump's Remarks

Trump's intention marks a rejection of decades of US policy that has prioritized self-determination over territorial expansion. “I’m not going to commit to that," Trump said, when asked if he would rule out the use of the military. "It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country.” He added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes."

Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime US ally and a founding member of NATO. Trump would also like Canada to join the US but he said he would not use military force to do that, saying he would rely on “economic force."

Promising a “Golden age of America," Trump also said he would move to try to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” saying that it has a “beautiful ring to it.”