President-elect Donald Trump has expressed interest in acquiring Greenland since his first term in office.
The interest has been renewed and more apparent in recent days, as his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., was visiting the world’s largest island, and in remarks Trump made during a press conference on Tuesday.
Trump also expressed interest in acquiring the Panama Canal - so much so, that he said he won't rule out the use of military force to seize control of either or both territories.
So, what’s the draw? Here’s what to know about Trump’s interest in Greenland and the Panama Canal:
Why Greenland?
Trump has repeated his belief that Greenland is of vital national security interest to the United States.
The island is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally and a founding member of NATO. It is also home to a large U.S. military base.
The land is rich in valuable rare earth minerals, such as uranium, as well as billions of untapped barrels of oil and a vast supply of natural gas.
And, on a global scale, Greenland will be an increasing focal point through the 21st century, experts say, because of the effect its melting ice will have on sea levels.
Trump and Greenland
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club on January 07, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
As mentioned, Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland dates back to at least his first presidential term. And the interest hasn’t waned over time.
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump said he was "hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA'." He attached a video that purportedly shows a Greenlander asking the U.S. to buy his country.
Donald Trump Jr. paid a visit to Greenland on Tuesday. The trip was a personal one and Greenlandic representatives would not be meeting with him, The Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has emphasized that Greenland is not for sale.
Trump and Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a maritime shortcut, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, that saves time and costs in transporting all kinds of goods.
Trump also believes control of the Panama Canal to be vital to American national security, and is upset over increased shipping prices and believes the U.S. is getting "ripped off."
Shipping prices have increased because of droughts last year affecting the canal locks, forcing Panama to drastically cut shipping traffic through the canal and raise rates to use it, according to The Associated Press.
The Panama Canal has been solely controlled by Panama for more than 25 years. Under the Jimmy Carter administration, the U.S. returned the Panama Canal Zone to the country in 1979 and ended its joint partnership in controlling the strategic waterway in 1999.
Panamanian leaders are not entertaining the idea of returning control.
"The sovereignty of our canal is not negotiable and is part of our history of struggle and an irreversible conquest," Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha said.
Trump and Canada
Trump has also floated having Canada join the United States as the 51st state.
He said Tuesday that he would not use military force to invade the country, which is home to more than 40 million people and is a founding NATO partner.
Instead, he said, he would rely on "economic force."
Justin Trudeau, the country's outgoing prime minister, said, "There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States."
RELATED: Ontario premier jokes Canada should buy Minnesota, Alaska
Since his first run for the White House in 2016, Trump has repeatedly clashed with Mexico over a number of issues.
Promising a "Golden age of America," Trump also said Tuesday he would move to try to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America," saying that it has a "beautiful ring to it."
Just after his comments, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she’ll be introducing legislation "ASAP" to support the name change.
RELATED: Trump says he wants to rename Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’
The Source: Information in this article was taken from Trump’s remarks during his Jan. 7, 2025, press conference from Mar-a-Lago, and his public Truth Social account. Background information was taken from previous FOX Television Stations reporting and The Associated Press. This story was reported from Detroit.