https://www.worldtribune.com/trump-breathing-fire-on-jan-7-panama-greenland-gulf-of-america/
One day after Congress certified his electoral college victory, President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated his proposition to acquire the Panama Canal and Greenland and added a new twist, renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
President-elect Donald Trump: The ‘Gulf of America has a beautiful ring to it.’ / Video Image
In a wide-ranging press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Trump did not rule out using the U.S. military to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.
“We need them for economic security,” Trump said.
A reporter asked Trump if he could assure the public that he would not use military or economic coercion in pursuit of either land.
“No, I can’t assure you of either of those two,” the president-elect replied.
“The Panama Canal was built for our military. I’m not going to commit to that, no … It might be that you’ll have to do something,” he said.
The canal is “being operated by China,” Trump said. “We didn’t give it to China, and they’ve abused it.”
Trump said he could also impose tariffs “at a very high level” on Denmark to acquire Greenland, claiming Denmark might not have any “legal right” to Greenland. As Trump spoke, his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., was in Greenland for what he claimed was a personal visit
Just 13 days before his inauguration, Trump announced that his administration would seek to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”
“What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate,” he said.
The petroleum-rich body of water is the world’s ninth-largest, and has been identified on maps as the Gulf of Mexico since the 1500s.
Shifting to the Middle East crisis, Trump warned Hamas it must release Israeli hostages before he takes office.
“All hell will break out. If those hostages aren’t back … If they’re not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East,” Trump said.
Asked to elaborate, Trump only said: “And it will not be good for Hamas. And it will not be good, frankly, for anyone.”
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, said at Tuesday’s press conference that there has been progress on efforts to release about 100 hostages held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, saying he’s hopeful a deal is achieved ahead of Jan. 20.
Witkoff said he had just returned from discussions in Doha, Qatar, on the hostage release deal and was planning to head back to the region Wednesday or Thursday.
“I believe we’ve been on the verge of it. I don’t want to discuss sort of what’s delayed it,” he said.