In recent days, Donald Trump has been repeating how Canada should become the 51st US state. The reason? The trade deficit between Washington and Ottawa, which, according to the newly elected US president, amounted to $100 billion. Economists were quick to refute him, saying that if you count all goods and services, it is actually a trade surplus, and the US benefits both directly and indirectly from trade with its northern neighbor. But that doesn't stop Trump from repeating that Canada could join the United States and Trudeau could become governor.
And while many perceive Trump's statements regarding Canada as simply words that many of his close associates have said in the past should not be paid attention to, his statements regarding Panama and Greenland sound far more serious.
Even during Trump's first term, White House sources said that he asked his advisers if the United States could buy the largest island in the world, which is de jure a self-governing Danish province.
Greenland has important geopolitical and economic importance
„For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America believes that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," Trump wrote on social media. „New York Times" points out that behind Trump's statements there is both geostrategic interest and economic benefit - the melting of the Arctic ice opens up opportunities for commercial and naval competition, the publication writes, and the island has reserves of rare minerals that are used in technology.
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Borup Egede immediately reacted and stated that the island is not for sale, but his administration is open to economic cooperation. “We will not lose our long fight for independence”, he also wrote.
The Danish Prime Minister's office has not reacted so far. They indicated that they “look forward to working with the new administration” in the White House. At the same time, two members of the Greenlandic parliament commented that they are open to dialogue with Trump, although they point out that “Greenland is not a commodity or a geostrategic trophy”.
Trump also wanted control of the Panama Canal
Trump, who will officially return to the White House in January, also attacked the Panamanian government. He said that it imposes “excessively high prices” for American ships and military vessels that pass through the Panama Canal. “The fees charged by Panama are ridiculous and unfair”, he commented.
The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean and is one of the most important trade routes in the world. In the early 20th century, the United States implemented the large-scale project, which it then controlled for decades. In the second half of the century, control was gradually transferred to Panama. Revenue from the Panama Canal now accounts for three percent of the small Central American country's gross domestic product.
According to Donald Trump, China now has too much influence over the artificially dug canal. "If Panama is unable to ensure the "safe, efficient and reliable operation" of the canal, the United States will demand the "full and unconditional return of the Panama Canal," the newly elected American president threatened. On social media, he also posted a photo of the Panama Canal with the American flag and the text "Welcome to the United States Canal."
Panama's President José Raúl Mulino immediately reacted and announced that every square meter of the canal belongs to his country. He also explained that the fees charged are based on the number of ships passing through and their cargo, and that no other country exercises control.
The America First slogan
In the “New York Times", journalists David Sanger and Lisa Friedman commented that Trump's latest statements fit well with the foreign policy direction he is following under the slogan America first (“America first"). It has a dark history, as DW recounts in its material.
In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska, and in 1898, Washington took control of the Philippines and controlled the island nation until 1946. It was not until 1999 that the management of the Panama Canal was completely handed over to local authorities.
For the Republican, the inviolability of state borders is clearly not unconditional even today. His attitude towards the war in Ukraine also shows this - he never strongly condemned Putin's Russia's violation of international law and the illegal annexation of occupied territories in Ukraine. “When Russia invaded Ukraine, his first reaction was not to condemn the blatant land grab, but rather to remark that President Vladimir Putin's move was “brilliant”, recalls the “New York Times” in this regard.