Trump Threatens Military Force
🔴 Abuse of Power ·
Jan 2025, ongoing
Summary
Before and after his January 2025 inauguration, Trump repeatedly refused to rule out using military force to seize Greenland (a Danish autonomous territory and fellow NATO member), annex Canada as the ‘51st state,’ and ‘retake’ the Panama Canal, which the U.S. had ceded to Panama under a 1977 treaty. Both Panama and Greenland formally rejected Trump’s claims. Legal scholars noted that threatening military force against a NATO ally potentially violates the NATO treaty’s foundational principles. In his March 2025 address to Congress, Trump reiterated that the U.S. had already taken steps to ‘take back’ the Panama Canal. Danish PM Mette Frederiksen stated ‘Greenland is not for sale’; Panama’s president declared the canal ‘is going to stay in our hands forever.’ Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed Trump’s ambitions outright. The threats destabilized U.S. relations with NATO allies and trading partners simultaneously.
Key Figures
Institutions Involved
Sources
- Trump will not rule out force to take Panama Canal - Greenland
- Greenland is not for sale - its leader says in response to Trump
- Is Trump’s rhetoric on Greenland - Canada and Panama Canal a ‘Madman Strategy’