"No, I can't assure you of either of those two. But I can say this: We need them for economic security. The Panama Canal was built for our military." Since winning the 2024 election, Trump has openly discussed the U.

U.S. president-elect Donald Trump says he’s open to using “economic force” to acquire Canada as a state. “Canada and the United States, that would really be something,” he said during a Mar-a-Lago press conference on Tuesday.

Asked at a press conference whether he would avoid using military or economic coercion in Panama and Greenland, Trump said, "No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this, we need them for economic security.

Donald Trump declined to say he would not use "military or economic coercion" to seize control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, repeating, "We need them for economic security." REPORTER: I wanted to touch on the "world on fire" that you mentioned.

Trump's stance marks a departure from decades of U.S. policy that has prioritized self-determination over territorial expansion.