CNN —
In addition to his bumper sticker promises to put America first and make it great again, soon-to-be President Donald Trump also apparently wants to redraw the map of the Western Hemisphere to make America much bigger. And he’s not ruling out the use of military force.
During a weaving, hour-plus dissertation for reporters at Mar-a-lago on Tuesday, Trump teased the “dawn of American’s golden age,” which includes:
Obtaining Greenland from Denmark: “They should give it up because we need it for national security. That’s for the free world. I’m talking about protecting the free world.”
Reclaiming the Panama Canal from Panama: “We gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn’t give it to China, and they’ve abused it.”
Turning Canada into the 51st state and pushing hockey great Wayne Gretzky as a candidate for governor: “Canada is subsidized to the tune of about $200 billion a year, plus other things. And they don’t, essentially, have a military. They have a very small military. We – they rely on our military.”
Renaming the Gulf of Mexico: “We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory. The Gulf of America, what a beautiful name.”
It’s not clear how serious he is about pursuing any of these specific ideas, but the fact that he keeps independently mentioning Greenland, Panama and Canada suggests they aren’t necessarily fleeting notions. CNN’s Steve Contorno looked at Trump’s similar comments late last year. Plus, Trump’s interest in Greenland was evident during his first administration, when he reportedly considered trying to trade Greenland for Puerto Rico. Conversely, Trump has long talked about the opposite of expansion – securing the border with Mexico – when he takes office.
The US has been expanding for its entire history
Expansion is built into the American DNA, said the retired Amb. Gordon Gray, now a professor of practice at George Washington University and former career Foreign Service officer.
“From landing in Jamestown and Plymouth Rock, there’s the concept of Manifest Destiny and the perceived need to continue to move west, to Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase,” he said.
While the period of expansion slowed early in the 20th century, Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959. There are those who would argue, Gray added, that US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were a form of American expansion.
Early in US history, President James Monroe established the Monroe Doctrine, which was tucked into his 1823 message to Congress and essentially warned European powers against further colonization in the Western Hemisphere.
As he was overseeing construction of the Panama Canal, President Theodore Roosevelt expanded on the Monroe Doctrine with the Roosevelt Corollary, to argue that the US had a responsibility to help countries in the Western Hemisphere.
Trump’s usually isolationist rhetoric would seem to contradict the idea of the US as protector of the West. And his complaints about Canada, Panama and Mexico all revolve around the idea that the US is being cheated.
That Trump refused, when asked by a reporter, to rule out using the American military to obtain land in either Greenland or Panama could give whiplash to Americans who recall his promise during the presidential campaign to keep the US out of wars. But the lack of any specifics about obtaining or annexing Greenland or Panama suggests these proposals are still very much in the idea stage.
Still, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., fed the chatter about Greenland Tuesday with a trip to the world’s largest island. He posted a video from the cockpit of a plane – adorned with a gun-toting Trump bobblehead – that was apparently preparing to land in Greenland, as well as video of Greenlanders in MAGA hats.
It obtained the US Virgin Islands from the Kingdom of Denmark in 1917 for $25 million in gold coin, but only after decades of attempts to acquire them.
Today, the US Virgin Islands are one of five US territories, including the largest and most populous of Puerto Rico. Those born in US territories are US citizens, but they only get token representation in Congress and can only vote in presidential elections if they move to a US state.
CNN’s Laura Paddison writes that there are plenty of reasons for the US to be interested in Greenland, including its wealth of minerals at a time when China dominates global rare earth production. Trump talked during his first term about acquiring it even though Denmark showed no interest in selling, much like now.
Gray said there are clear strategic reasons for the US to be interested in acquiring Greenland, which is why Trump’s comments about it deserve special attention.
“I would distinguish between desire to purchase Greenland on the one hand, and then his comments about Canada being the 51st state, and Wayne Gretzky should be the next governor of Canada, and things like that, which are very clearly designed just to put a thumb in in Justin Trudeau’s eye,” said Gray, referring to the Canadian prime minister who announced this week that he will step down.
Trump’s comments about the Panama Canal also seem more political to Gray, since they are geared at complaining about China’s growing influence, a key issue to many of Trump’s followers.
Legacy is an issue that is important to Trump, which was clear from the way he wove Jimmy Carter into his comments about the Panama Canal.
In his comments to reporters, Trump noted that Carter signed a treaty returning the Canal zone to Panama after 75 years of US rule. Carter, coincidentally, died last month and was transported Tuesday to Washington, DC, where he will lie in state at the US Capitol. Trump, ruminating on Carter’s legacy, told reporters the decision to cede control of the canal cost Carter the White House.
“Giving the Panama Canal is why Jimmy Carter lost the election, in my opinion,” Trump said.
