Trump threatens Denmark with economic retaliation in Greenland

US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose “very high” tariffs on Denmark if it resists his efforts to control Greenland, an autonomous Danish region.

When asked during a press conference on Tuesday whether he ruled out the use of military or economic force in order to control the strategically important island, he said: “No, I cannot assure you about either of those things.”

“I can say this, we need them for economic security,” he said.

Trump also said he would use “economic force” against Canada and called the US-Canadian border an “artificially drawn line.”

Trump’s statements came at a time when his son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland.

Before arriving in the capital, Nuuk, Trump Jr. said he was going on a “personal day trip” to talk to people, and did not have any meetings planned with government officials.

When Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was asked about Trump Jr.’s visit to Greenland, she told Danish television that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and that only the locals can determine their future.

She agreed that “Greenland is not for sale,” but stressed that Denmark needed very close cooperation with the United States, a NATO ally.

Greenland is located on the shortest route from North America to Europe, and is home to a large American space facility. It also contains some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are essential in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech devices.

Since winning re-election, Trump has repeatedly returned to the idea of ​​US territorial expansion – including restoring the Panama Canal.

Trump said during the press conference that the channel is “vital to our country” and claimed that “it is run by China.” Panama has previously been accused of imposing excessive fees on American ships to use the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino rejected Trump’s claims and said there was “no Chinese interference at all” in the canal.

Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings operates two ports at the entrances to the canal. The canal was built in the early 1900s, and the United States maintained control of the canal zone until 1977, when treaties gradually ceded the land to Panama.

“Giving Panama the Panama Canal was a very, very big mistake,” Trump said.

It is unclear how serious the president-elect is about adding more to US territory, especially when it comes to Canada, a country with a population of 41 million and the second largest country by area in the world.

During the press conference, Trump said that the United States is spending billions of dollars to protect Canada, and criticized imports of Canadian cars, lumber, and dairy products.