Trump floats taking control of Panama Canal, Greenland

What happened

President-elect Donald Trump threatened Sunday to retake control of the Panama Canal and said that U.S. "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" for "national security and freedom." The U.S. handed control of the canal to Panama in 1999, after agreeing to do so in 1977 treaties. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Who said what

Trump's comments about the Panama Canal, elaborating on a social media post Saturday, came "atop a list of grievances — some old, some new" — he aired at a conservative conference in Phoenix. "We're being ripped off at the Panama Canal," he claimed, saying the U.S. "foolishly gave it away" and if the "moral and legal principles" of America's "magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States."

Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded in a video on X that "every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent area belongs to Panama and will continue to be so," and "the sovereignty and independence of our country aren't negotiable." Trump hit back on social media: "We'll see about that!"

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It was "unclear why Trump has focused on the vital shipping passage in recent days," Politico said. "Panama has been a steady ally" for decades and the conservative Mulino took office in August pledging to "deepen ties with the United States." When Trump suggested purchasing Greenland in his first term, "he was publicly rebuffed by Danish authorities before any conversations could take place," Reuters said.

What next?

Trump's comments "signal that he will pursue a confrontational foreign-policy agenda" featuring "unconventional threats and pointed demands," The Wall Street Journal said. "Short of an invasion," though, "the U.S. government has no ability to restore control of the canal."