Former US President Donald Trump’s recent statements about territorial expansion have prompted swift reactions from multiple nations, with Denmark announcing increased defense spending for Greenland and Panama firmly defending its sovereignty over its canal.
In a series of social media posts, Trump declared US ownership of Greenland “an absolute necessity” for national security, while also suggesting Canada could become the 51st state and indicating interest in retaking control of the Panama Canal. The statements came alongside his nomination of Ken Howery, former envoy to Sweden, as potential ambassador to Denmark.
In response, Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede issued a forceful statement: “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.” The autonomous Danish territory, home to 56,000 people, has already rejected similar overtures during Trump’s first term.
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Denmark swiftly announced a new defense package worth approximately $1.5 billion for Greenland. Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen characterized the timing as an “irony of fate” while outlining plans for new inspection ships, long-range drones, and military infrastructure upgrades, including modifications to accommodate F-35 fighter jets.
“We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years, now we are planning a stronger presence,” Poulsen said.
Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor of Arctic security, politics, and diplomacy at the Royal Danish Defence College, notes in The Express that while Trump’s rhetoric is unprecedented, American interest in Greenland follows historical patterns dating back to the Truman administration’s secret 1947 offer of $100 million in gold bars.
The strategic significance of Greenland extends beyond its vast mineral deposits, including rare earth elements. The island’s Pituffik air base serves as a crucial part of the US military’s early-warning system for ballistic missiles, lying along the shortest route between North America and Europe.
Meanwhile, Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino responded firmly to Trump’s suggestions about the Panama Canal, asserting that “every square meter” of the waterway “belongs to Panama and will continue belonging to Panama.”
Speaking of national security…
Trump might need to shift his focus from beyond US borders to his backyard to ensure control over so-called national security. World’s richest person Elon Musk may now have everything he needs in place (i.e. his own global spy network via Starlink, and a shadow presidency via President-elect Trump) to become the full-fledged “unofficial President of the US,” as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu jokingly referred to him during a discussion about artificial intelligence on X in 2023.
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