United States President-elect Donald Trump 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 conference press in Florida.
Trump spoke Tuesday from his Mar-a-Lago estate, a day after Congress officially certified his victory in November’s general election. The press conference also comes just 13 days before Trump is sworn in for his second term on January 20.
The president-elect addressed several national issues, pledging to roll back environmental restrictions and pardon supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
But his most important statements concerned foreign policy. Trump has outlined a radical expansionist vision, with consequences for countries around the world.
He reiterated his desire to see the United States control the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada, while stressing that “all hell will break loose” if captives held in Gaza are not released before he takes office.
In an exchange with reporters, Trump was asked whether he would rule out the use of military force or economic coercion to take control of the Panama Canal or Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory. He refused.
“I’m not going to commit to that,” Trump said. He then turned his attention to the canal, a commercial artery connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “You may need to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country.
He later added: “We need Greenland for national security purposes. »
The prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark have ruled out the possibility of the sprawling Arctic island being transferred to US control.
And Panama’s government has also maintained that the canal would remain Panamanian, as it has been since the United States relinquished control of it in 1999, following a treaty negotiated under U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Eyes on Canada
Trump also made bold statements about his intentions toward Canada, one of the United States’ top trading partners.
The country shares an 8,891-kilometer (5,525-mile) border with the United States, and Trump has suggested in recent weeks that it should become the 51st state of the United States.
But during Tuesday’s press conference, he ruled out using military force against Canada, which is traditionally a close ally – but not an “economic force”.
“You get rid of the artificially drawn line and you look at what it looks like, and it would be much better for national security as well,” Trump said, referring to the border between the United States and Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly responded to this prospect on social media.
“There is no chance that Canada will be part of the United States,” Trudeau wrote.
Trump, meanwhile, renewed his promise to impose “substantial tariffs” on Mexico and Canada if they do not comply with demands to stem irregular migration and drug trafficking into the United States. .
Trump had previously threatened to impose 25% tariffs on both countries, despite warnings from economists that trade wars could destroy highly interconnected North American industries.
In another reference to changing the regional map, Trump said the Gulf of Mexico should be named the “Gulf of America.” It sounds “beautiful,” he joked.
“All hell is going to break loose”
Trump spent a lot of time discussing Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza, in which more than 45,885 Palestinians were killed.
The president-elect called his candidate for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to the podium to provide an update on the negotiations.
Witkoff, a real estate investor with no foreign policy experience, had participated in recent Middle East ceasefire negotiations.
In seemingly off-the-cuff remarks, Witkoff said, “I think we’ve made some really great progress, and I really hope that between now and the inauguration we’ll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president.” »
But the president-elect has taken a harder line, focusing on freeing the last prisoners held by Hamas after the October 8, 2023 attack in southern Israel. Israel estimates that around 100 people are still detained by Hamas.
Trump said “all hell will break loose” in the Middle East if Hamas does not release prisoners before he takes office.
Some observers interpreted Trump’s statement as a threat of possible U.S. military intervention in Gaza, a line that outgoing President Joe Biden has refused to cross, despite increasing military aid to Israel.
When asked to explain what he meant at the press conference, Trump hesitated: “Should I define it for you?” All hell will break loose if these hostages don’t return.”
“If they don’t come back by the time I take office, all hell will break out in the Middle East, and that won’t be good for Hamas or, frankly, anyone. All hell is going to break loose. I don’t need to say more, but it is what it is,” he said.
Syrian politics
Trump gave a typically cryptic response when asked about the future of US troops in Syria. The Pentagon says about 2,000 US troops remain in the country as part of a mission to fight the armed group ISIL (ISIS).
But questions have been raised about long-term US involvement in Syria following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad in early December.
US troops have supported the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria since 2014, as a multi-pronged civil war unfolded in the country.
But this support put Washington is at odds with its NATO ally Turkiye, which considers members of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – the bulk of SDF fighters – to be “terrorists”.
Turkey, on the other hand, supported the rebel groups that ultimately toppled al-Assad.
During his first term, Trump raised the possibility of withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria. And as recently as December, he posted on his Truth Social platform that the United States should have “nothing to do” with Syria.
But at Tuesday’s press conference, he opted instead for ambiguity on the future of US involvement in Syria.
“I won’t tell you, because it’s part of a military strategy,” he said.
Instead, he praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he called a “friend” and a “very smart guy.”
“He sent his people over there (to Syria) in different forms and under different names, and they came in, they took over, and that’s how it is,” Trump said.
Some analysts have speculated that Trump may be more willing than previous U.S. presidents to hand over anti-ISIS operations to Turkey.
NATO will pay more
Trump also weighed in on other NATO allies, saying the 32 members of the transatlantic alliance should increase their defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP).
This is a significant increase from the current minimum target of 2 percent.
Trump has regularly accused alliance members of underpaying and suggested pulling out if spending doesn’t increase.
“They can all afford it, but they should be at 5 percent, not 2 percent,” Trump said.
“If they pay their bills, and I think they treat us fairly, the answer is absolutely: I would stay in NATO,” he added. But he warned he could withdraw his support if he believes the United States is not being treated fairly.
In one anecdote, he compared NATO allies to debtors who are late on their bills: “If you are late, we will not protect you. »
This threat comes as NATO has taken on increased importance amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
Trump has long maintained that the Russian invasion would not have happened under his presidency. On Tuesday, he recommitted to negotiating a quick resolution.
