Trump declines to rule out ‘military or economic’ force to expand U.S.

PALM BEACH, Fla. – President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to rule out military or economic coercion to expand the United States and vowed “major pardons” for people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, previewing a potentially disruptive agenda that could rock global affairs as well as the U.S. justice system when he takes office in less than two weeks.

Speaking for roughly 70 minutes in a meandering news conference from his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, Trump emphasized his ambitions for territorial expansion, however implausible. He said the United States should acquire Greenland, threatened to retake the Panama Canal and mused about using “economic force” to make Canada the 51st American state – underscoring his willingness to feud with allies and make sweeping threats. He said he would change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”

Trump said “all hell will break out” in the Middle East if hostages in Gaza are not returned by Inauguration Day. And he railed against the Justice Department and its handling of the Jan. 6 attack, declining to rule out pardons for defendants who attacked police officers.

“We’re looking at it,” Trump said when asked whether he planned to pardon those charged with violent offenses. Almost 1,600 people have been charged or convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack by a pro-Trump mob that disrupted certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

The news conference marked the latest vivid display of Trump’s penchant for rambling tangents, insults, false statements and hyperbole. He likened the U.S. justice system to that of “third-tier countries” and “banana republics,” and echoed the dark tone of his campaign speeches and first inaugural address, in which he famously denounced the state of the country as “American carnage.”

The freewheeling news conference was meant to showcase planned U.S. investments by an Emirati developer with long-standing ties to Trump. But Trump almost immediately veered into other topics. He criticized electric heaters, claimed that votes were still being counted from the November election even though the results were finalized with the convening of the electoral college Dec. 17, and repeated his attacks on judges and prosecutors involved in the criminal cases against him – which were effectively stalled by his re-election.

The president-elect promised to usher in a “golden age of America,” speaking from a gilded room decorated with an elaborate grand piano and chandelier. He painted a dystopian picture of the current state of the nation, calling the United States “a horrible place” and making multiple inaccurate claims about the Biden administration’s policies.

He also reacted on the spot to a federal judge’s move Tuesday to temporarily block the Justice Department from releasing special counsel Jack Smith’s report on his investigation into allegations that Trump mishandled classified documents.

“People are destroyed because of what they did, destroyed,” Trump said. “But we got to be president.”

Much of the news conference focused on Trump’s recent suggestions that the United States could expand its territory – comments that many dismiss as trolling but that Trump’s advisers say are part of a broader plan to curb the influence of China and Russia.

Threats to encroach on the sovereignty of other nations appear to conflict with Trump’s campaign promises to end wars, not start them. Yet since his first term, Trump’s “America First” foreign policy has been defined by frequent departures from diplomatic norms and by his brash brand of nationalism.

Trump has made little acknowledgment of the many political and legal hurdles to his ambitions to expand U.S. territory, but he has railed against canal fees in Panama and has said the United States needs Greenland for national security reasons. The island is home to a Space Force base with a substantial American and NATO military presence.

Canadian leaders have shown no interest in dissolving their country. After Trump’s news conference, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States. Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner.”

Greenland’s prime minister has said the island, which is controlled by Denmark, is not for sale, and King Frederik X of Denmark recently released a new coat of arms with a more prominent reference to the territory. The president of Panama responded to Trump’s repeated criticism of its canal fees – and threats to retake the waterway – by saying that “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama and will remain so.”

Asked on Tuesday whether he would rule out “military or economic coercion” to get control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, Trump declined.

“No, I can’t assure you on either of those two,” he told reporters.

Trump did rule out military force to annex Canada, one of the United States’ largest trading partners.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, made a brief appearance alongside Trump and said that he is making “good progress” on a deal to release Israeli hostages.

Witkoff, who said “we’ve been on the verge” of a deal, stated he is likely to travel to Doha, Qatar, by Wednesday to continue negotiations. After the news conference, he told reporters that he was working closely with the Biden administration on the hostage-release efforts. He said Trump wants a deal to release the hostages before he enters office in 13 days.

Trump has indicated that he breaks with the Biden administration especially sharply on Ukraine. The president-elect is much more skeptical of aid to Ukraine and often says he wants to strike a deal that will end the war. Asked Tuesday whether he would commit to supporting Ukraine during negotiations, Trump said, “I wouldn’t tell you if that were the case.”

Trump also weighed in on congressional Republicans’ strategy for passing their legislative priorities. He reiterated that he favors one big bill rather than two but continued to suggest that he was open to either option. “I can live either way,” he said.