US President-elect Donald Trump hinted at possible military intervention in America and the Middle East, as well as other items on his foreign policy agenda, during a wide-ranging news conference in Florida.
Trump spoke from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Tuesday, a day after Congress formally certified his victory in the November general election. The press conference also comes just 13 days before Trump is sworn in for his second term on January 20.
The president-elect addressed several domestic issues, promising to roll back environmental restrictions and pardon supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
But his most consequential statements concerned foreign policy. Trump outlined a sweeping expansion vision with implications for countries around the world.
He reiterated his desire for U.S. control of the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada, while stressing that “all hell will break loose” if prisoners held in Gaza are not released before he takes office.
Speaking to reporters, Trump was asked whether he would rule out using military force or economic coercion to take control of the Panama Canal or Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. He refused.
“I will not commit to that,” Trump said. He then turned his attention to the Canal, a major trade route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific. “You might need to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country.”
He later added: “We need Greenland for national security reasons.”
Both the Greenlandic and Danish prime ministers have ruled out the prospect of handing over the sprawling Arctic island to the United States.
And the Panamanian government has also insisted that the canal will remain Panamanian, as it has been since the U.S. relinquished control in 1999 after a treaty was negotiated under the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Eyes on Canada
Trump also made bold statements about his intentions toward Canada, one of the U.S.’s largest trading partners.
The country shares an 8,891-kilometer (5,525-mile) border with the U.S. and Trump has proposed in recent weeks making it the U.S.’s 51st state.
But during Tuesday’s news conference, he ruled out using military force against Canada, which has traditionally been a close ally — although not an “economic power.”
“You get rid of the artificially drawn line and look at what it looks like, and that would be much better for national security,” said Trump, referring to the border between the United States and Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly responded to the prospect on social media.
“There is absolutely no chance of Canada becoming part of the United States,” Trudeau wrote.
Trump, meanwhile, renewed his promise to impose “significant tariffs” against Mexico and Canada if they do not meet demands to curb irregular migration and drug trafficking to the United States.
Trump had previously threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on the two countries, even as economists warned that trade wars could devastate highly interconnected North American industries.
In another reference to the regional map change, Trump said the Gulf of Mexico should be called the “Gulf of America.” It has a “beautiful sound,” he joked.
“All hell will break loose”
Trump spent much time discussing Israel’s war in Gaza, a conflict that has killed more than 45,885 Palestinians and raised fears of serious human rights abuses.
The president-elect called his candidate for Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, to the podium to provide an update on the negotiations.
Witkoff, a real estate investor with no foreign policy experience, was involved in recent ceasefire talks in the Middle East.
In seemingly off-the-cuff remarks, Witkoff said, “I think we’ve really made a lot of progress, and I’m really confident that we’ll be able to announce some good things on behalf of the president between now and the inauguration.”
However, the president-elect took a harder line and focused on the release of the remaining prisoners held by Hamas in southern Israel after the October 8, 2023 attack. Israel estimates that around 100 people remain in Hamas detention.
Trump vowed that “all hell will break loose” in the Middle East if Hamas does not release prisoners by the time he takes office.
Some observers have interpreted Trump’s statement as a threat of possible U.S. military intervention in Gaza, a line that outgoing President Joe Biden has refused to cross despite increasing military aid to Israel.
When Trump was asked at the press conference to explain what he meant, he replied: “Do I have to define it for you? All hell will break loose if these hostages don’t come back.”
“If they aren’t back by the time I take office, all hell will break out in the Middle East, and it won’t be good for Hamas, and it won’t be good for anyone, frankly. All hell will break loose. I don’t have to say more, but that’s how it is,” he said.
Syria policy
When asked about the future of US troops in Syria, Trump gave a typically cryptic answer. According to the Pentagon, about 2,000 US troops remain in the country as part of a mission to contain the armed group ISIL (ISIS).
However, after the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad in early December, questions have arisen about the long-term US involvement in Syria.
US troops have been supporting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria since 2014, as a multi-faceted civil war raged in the country.
But this support laid Washington is at odds with its NATO ally Türkiye, which views members of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – the majority of SDF fighters – as “terrorists.”
In contrast, Turkey supported the rebel groups that ultimately toppled al-Assad.
During his first term in office, Trump raised the possibility of withdrawing US troops from Syria. And just in December, he posted on his Truth Social platform that the US should have “nothing to do with Syria.”
But in Tuesday’s press conference, he instead chose to remain unclear about the future of U.S. involvement in Syria.
“I’m not going to tell you that because it’s part of a military strategy,” he said.
Instead, he praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he called a “friend” and a “very smart guy.”
“He sent his people there (Syria) in different ways and under different names, and they went in, they took over, and that’s how it is,” Trump said.
Some analysts have speculated that Trump may be more willing than previous U.S. presidents to hand over anti-ISIL operations to Turkey.
NATO should pay more
Trump also weighed in on other NATO allies, saying the 32 members of the transatlantic alliance should increase their defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP).
This is a significant increase compared to the current minimum target of 2 percent.
Trump has regularly accused alliance members of underpaying and suggested they would pull out if spending didn’t increase.
“They can all afford it, but they should be at 5 percent, not 2 percent,” Trump said.
“If they pay their bills and if I think they treat us fairly, the answer is definitely that I would stay with NATO,” he added. However, he warned that he could withdraw his support if he felt the US was not being treated fairly.
In one anecdote, he compared NATO allies to defaulters: “If you default, we won’t protect you.”
The threat comes as NATO has gained prominence with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
Trump has long maintained that Russia’s invasion did not happen under his rule. On Tuesday he promised again to find a quick solution.
