President-elect Donald Trump raised alarms after establishing his intent to acquire Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal. In a press conference on January 7, Trump said he wouldn’t rule out using military or economic force to gain control of the Nordic region. “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two. But I can say this: we need them for economic security,” he said.
Despite his rhetoric, including comments that Canada could become the “51st state” and that the northern border is just an “artificially drawn line,” many conservatives insisted it was just “tough talk” or a bargaining tactic. However, some Representatives in the House are taking Trump’s threats seriously.
On Monday, January 13, a group of House Republicans introduced a bill allowing Trump to begin negotiations with Denmark over the acquisition of Greenland. Though he hasn’t taken office yet, Monday’s bill is just the latest passed by Republicans to prepare to hit the ground running after the inauguration on January 20. Representative Marjorie Taylor Green introduced a bill to have the Gulf of Mexico renamed to the Gulf of America on all official US documents and maps after Trump suggested the name change. Representative Dusty Johnson reintroduced a bill to authorize negotiations over the Panama Canal.
Andy Ogles introduced the Greenland Acquisition Bill on Monday, titled “Make Greenland Great Again Act.” If passed, it would allow Trump to begin negotiations with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on January 20. Frederiksen has insisted that Greenland is not for sale.
Donald Trump Jr. traveled to Greenland, where he continued talks of acquiring the land while Trump Sr. insisted that the Danish do not have sovereignty over Greenland. “If they have [a legal right], they have to give it up,” he insisted in his press conference. Trump Jr. was joined by key advisor and podcaster Charlie Kirk, who has also voiced support for imperialism. “It makes America dream again, that we’re not just this sad, low-testosterone, beta male slouching in our chair, allowing the world to run over us,” Kirk said. “It is the resurrection of masculine American energy. It is the return of Manifest Destiny.”
Regarding Canada, Trump admitted that he would not use force against America’s neighbors to the north, preferring economic coercion. The imperialist rhetoric is not without consequences. For decades, US Presidents have respected the territorial integrity of NATO members and allies. The move toward redrawing global borders and expanding the United States’ territory could open the doors for other countries, such as Russia and China, to do the same.
“If I’m Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping, this is music to my ears,” Former Trump national security advisor John Bolton said.
