He is not yet back in the White House as Donald Trump is already considering and sometimes threatening to take control of neighboring countries of the United States, for various reasons.
Donald Trump is preparing to become President of the United States again during his inauguration scheduled for January 20, but he seems to want more. The Republican has been making an expansionist speech in recent days with several neighboring territories in her sights, starting with Canada. The future tenant of the White House estimated on Monday January 6 that Canada had every interest in becoming the “51st state” of the United States on his Truth Social network. “If Canada merged with the United States, there would be no customs duties, taxes would drop considerably and Canada would be TOTALLY SAFE from the threat of Russian and Chinese ships that constantly surround it,” he said. he added.
A message posted the day Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stuck in a political crisis lasting several months, announced his resignation. Donald Trump is provoking at a time when the country is vulnerable and he knows it: “Together, what a great nation it would be!!!”, he exclaimed on Truth Social. Because Canadian difficulties are partly due to the trade conditions that the American billionaire plans to put in place as soon as he comes to power, in particular customs duties of 25%.
A “merger” with Canada mentioned several times
But this is not the first time that Donald Trump has mentioned the idea of a “merger” between the United States and Canada. He had already done so on Christmas Day, still on his Truth Social network: “If Canada became our 51st state, their taxes would be reduced by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size and they would be protected militarily like no other. other country in the world,” he said then. Even before, at the end of November, Donald Trump gave the same speech to Justin Trudeau during a meeting at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
If Canada will begin a transition period while awaiting the appointment of a new Prime Minister, a process which could take several months, Canadian politicians are opposed to the idea of being absorbed by the United States. Several personalities denounced a “provocative and unrealistic” declaration refusing to call into question the independence and sovereignty of Canada. “This type of proposal does not reflect the reality of our bilateral relations. Canada is and will remain a sovereign nation, proud of its values and its independence,” a former Canadian minister told AFP. Reactions which do not hide a form of concern in the face of the expansionist desires of the American.
Strategic ambitions in Greenland
Further north still, it is Greenland which attracts Donald Trump. The frozen, autonomous territory belonging to Denmark is a highly strategic location for the United States, especially in view of Russia’s military movements and China’s economic investments in the Arctic. In the same Christmas message, the future American president recalled his ambitions for the Greenlandic island: “Greenland is an incredible place and its people, if and when they become part of our nation, will benefit from it. a huge profit. [le] “We will protect it, and we will cherish it.” And Donald Trump attributes to the inhabitants of Greenland the desire for an American presence there.
If the Americans controlled Greenland during the Second World War thanks to the cooperation of the Danish ambassador in Washington, the defense agreement concluded with Denmark has since led to the closure of all American bases on the island, except that of Thule. But Donald Trump now wants a greater American military presence in Greenland and he does not hide it: “For national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America believes that the ownership and control of the Greenland are an absolute necessity.”
The fact remains that the Danish and Greenlandic governments have firmly denounced and rejected the statements of the elected American president. The Greenlandic Prime Minister also assured that the island was not for sale. The fact remains that the same indicated during his wishes that the “cooperation” of Greenland “with other countries and [les] commercial relations cannot continue to be carried out solely through Denmark”. Hence Donald Trump’s announcement of a visit by his son accompanied by other representatives to the Arctic territory? Possible, but the trip n This is nothing like an “official American visit” according to local authorities.
Views and threats on Panama
Donald Trump is not only looking to the North and, even before Christmas, he threatened to regain control of the Panama Canal in Central America by pointing out “particularly unfair” treatment of American ships regarding the duties and tolls to be paid. Long controlled by the United States, the canal has been entirely managed by Panama since 1999, but Donald Trump accused the country of being under Chinese influence: “It is only up to Panama to manage [le canal]not to China or anyone else.” And the American added that if Panama is not capable of ensuring “the safe, efficient and reliable operation” of the sea route, ” We will then demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without discussion.”