President-elect Donald Trump has sparked controversy and raised eyebrows by insinuating possible territorial expansions in the United States, triggering speculations of a border makeover. In a spate of provocative comments in the past week, Trump has let loose a balloon on including Canada, reclaiming the Panama Canal, and moving toward the ownership of Greenland, giving a modern-day twist to “Manifest Destiny” of the 19th century.
In their most recent comments, Trump said that Canada could become the 51st state, a claim he has continued to float in public forums. His suggestion was made with characteristic bravado, though it’s unclear whether it is a serious policy proposal or a rhetorical flourish designed to energize his political base. He also renewed his first-term plans to purchase Greenland, a Danish territory he once characterized as “an absolute necessity” in national security. The Danish government met That suggestion promptly, with even Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede reacting, “Greenland is ours and will never be for sale.”
Other eyebrow-raising comments include one in which Trump threatened to seize the Panama Canal-a highly valuable waterway controlled by the United States until 1999 when full control was transferred to Panama under an agreement signed by President Jimmy Carter. In a speech in Arizona, Trump threatened that unless Panama lowered the fees to American vessels that use the canal, the U.S. might intervene. “So to the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly,” Trump said, adding that the canal was a “vital national asset.”
While the transition team of President Trump refused to say whether these comments are part of real plans or merely rhetoric, these utterances have nonetheless raised some eyebrows among those who track political movements. Some say that this kind of suggestion is only part of the deal-making mechanism that Trump employs at least to get the attention of the media. His rhetoric has been characterized as part of his larger “America First” approach, wherein the emphasis is on advancing U.S. interests at home and abroad.
The annexation of Canada, however, is more of a jocular provocation. He made several comments that the U.S. could absorb its northern neighbor most recently following a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trump’s administration reportedly also weighs slapping new tariffs on goods originating from Canada and Mexico, further ratcheting up tensions.
Unlikely as these territorial proposals may be, the rhetoric has set tongues wagging again over Trump’s foreign policy approach and his ability to negotiate with global leaders.
