President-elect Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that the U.S. could take control of Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal—an unexpected Christmas Day message that has sparked concerns among world leaders in recent days as they scramble to prepare for Trump’s second White House term.

In a Wednesday post on the platform Truth Social, Trump wished a “Merry Christmas to all,” including to the “wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal,” before moving on to take aim at Canada and Greenland as well, which he suggested again could be better off under U.S. governance.

Trump reiterated his claim that U.S. shippers are being forced to pay “ridiculous” and “exorbitant” prices to navigate the Panama Canal—an artificial, 51-mile waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He has suggested, without evidence, that Chinese interests are gaining outsize influence over the waterway, something Panamanian leaders have steadfastly denied.

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In his Truth Social post Wednesday, Trump also mockingly referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor” reiterating his recent suggestion that Canada should be turned into a U.S. state. 

“If Canada was to become our 51st state, their taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other country anywhere in the world,” Trump said.

Finally, the president-elect turned his attention to Greenland; an autonomous, geographically important Arctic location rife with natural resources, including rare earth minerals.

The U.S., Trump said on Wednesday, “feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for reasons of national security and “global freedom.’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is seen on Nov. 29, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Trump’s lengthy Truth Social post did little to assuage the concerns of some world leaders, who have carefully watched Trump’s actions and his statements in recent weeks for clues as to how he might govern in a second term.

The remarks also appear to be at odds with the “America First” policies long espoused by Trump, which seek to prioritize domestic policy rather than expansion or U.S. presence abroad.

Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., echoed Trump’s concerns in an interview Thursday, describing China’s influence in the Panama Canal, and the higher prices incurred by shippers, as a “shot across the bow.” 

“Remember, we have China and Cuba,” Zinke said on “Mornings with Maria.“ “We have Maduro in Venezuela. We have had Russian ships there. And the Panama Canal is critical to our national security. And at present, it is being run by the Chinese Communist Party. So it’s a concern—absolutely.” 

‘AMERICA FIRST’ VS. ‘AMERICA LAST’: WHAT DOES TRUMP’S RETURN MEAN FOR US FOREIGN POLICY?

Homes are illuminated after the sunset in Tasiilaq, Greenland. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana,)

To be sure, it is not the first time Trump has indicated interest in Greenland, a mineral-rich, geographically important territory.

In 2019, then-President Trump told reporters he was “interested” in purchasing Greenland, which he described at the time as “essentially” a “large real estate deal.” The 2019 effort never gained traction, however; and this week, Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede immediately poured cold water on the idea that their territory could be sold to the U.S.

“Greenland is ours,”  Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said this week, in response to Trump’s suggestion. 

“We are not for sale and will never be for sale,” he said. “We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”

Meanwhile, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino also disputed the notion that U.S. vessels have been singled out or paid higher fees to traverse the Panama Canal—as well as the notion that the U.S., which phased out its ownership beginning in the 1970s, has any right to reassert control over the shipping waypoint. 

In a video posted to social media earlier this week, Mulino reassured his country’s people that the “sovereignty and independence of our country is non-negotiable.”

The Panama Canal is one of the largest and most strategically important commodity shipping waterways in the world. It handles roughly 5% of all global maritime trade and roughly 40% of U.S. container ship traffic. 

Picturesque Lake Gatun, Panama Canal. (Danuta Hamlin)

Recent higher prices are primarily the result of drought and more competition, which sent water levels plummeting last year to their lowest point on record. Though water levels have since rebounded, operators of the canal were forced to temporarily limit vessel traffic and increase costs for ships using the waypoint.

Other factors have also played a role in higher maritime shipping prices.

A series of attacks on vessels in the Red Sea late last year prompted many major commodities shippers, including BP and Equinor, to pause or reroute their shipments away from the Suez Canal. Some opted to reroute supplies via the Cape of Good Hope, adding weeks of additional time to their trips.

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, incorrectly claimed on social media last week that the Panama Canal cost U.S. taxpayers $15.7 billion. In fact, the higher costs are shouldered by the ships that pass through the waterway, in the form of tolls.  The U.S. government does not subsidize the canal.

‘AMERICA FIRST’ VS. ‘AMERICA LAST’: WHAT DOES TRUMP’S RETURN MEAN FOR US FOREIGN POLICY?

The gate locks on the Panama Canal open for ship traffic in Dec. 2023. Drought conditions have limited the number of vessels that can travel through the canal per day, adding more price pressure for shipping companies.  (Danuta Hamlin)

Panamanian authorities have stressed that the prices are not the result of “unfair” treatment, or capitulation to China or any other nation-state influence.

“The canal has no direct or indirect control from China, nor the European Union, nor the United States or any other power,” Mulino said in his remarks. “As a Panamanian, I reject any manifestation that misrepresents this reality.”

Still, Trump does not appear to be backing down on expansion claims.

“The Panama Canal is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States, due to its critical role to America’s Economy and National Security,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Sunday. “A secure Panama Canal is crucial for U.S. Commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shipping times to U.S. ports.”

“We’re not going to stand for it,” he said. “So, to the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly.”

WASHINGTON —  If President-elect Donald Trump’s assertion that the United States should have control of Greenland sounds familiar, that’s because he’s said it before — during his first term as president.

Back in 2019, Trump’s call caused a brief diplomatic tiff with Denmark, under whose sovereignty the vast island falls. Then as now, the suggestion was met with derision in some quarters, but it spotlighted serious questions about the icy territory’s strategic significance in an era of accelerating climate change.

Trump’s commentary also pointed up a quandary faced by U.S. allies, which will become more pressing within a few weeks, when the Oval Office changes hands: whether smaller and less powerful states ought to greet startling declarations from Washington with silence, conciliation, throat-clearing obfuscation or clearly stated opposition — especially since the issue in question might simply go away anyway.

Sometimes, Trump ultimately defuses such flaps by saying he was only joking. At other times, he hints that those who defy him might face consequences later. Denmark is a member of the European Union, which is already preparing for a potentially tense relationship with the incoming president.

Here is some background about Greenland, why the president-elect is raising the topic again, and what might come next.

What is this place?

Greenland is an Alaska-sized, self-ruling Danish territory off North America, between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. It is the world’s biggest island that isn’t a continent, about two-thirds of it lying within the Arctic Circle. It is largely ice-covered and sparsely populated: Fewer than 60,000 people live there. With the exception of foreign nationals, those living there are full citizens of Denmark.

How did this idea even come up?

The president-elect’s unexpected comment came Sunday as he was announcing his choice for U.S. envoy to Copenhagen, PayPal co-founder Ken Howery. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump declared that “America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” citing “purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World.”

How did Greenland’s government respond?

Somewhat crisply. On Monday, its elected leader, Prime Minister Mute Egede, said in a statement that Greenland “is not for sale and will never be for sale.” But the prime minister also said Greenland “must continue to be open to cooperation and trade with the whole world, especially our neighbors.”

How did Trump’s 2019 idea play out?

When Trump made his initial real-estate overture, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed Trump’s offer as “absurd.” The then-president termed that response “nasty” and called off a planned state visit to Denmark.

Still, the idea of such a purchase was not unprecedented. The United States had made several similar forays, dating to the 1860s, all of them short-lived.

This time around, any headaches for Denmark could be longer-lasting. Trump was already 19 months into his first term when he floated the purchase notion. With his swearing-in still four weeks away, there will be a full four years for the issue to simmer.

Is territorial expansion a theme for Trump’s second presidency?

In this postelection, pre-inauguration phase, Trump has already made waves by musing about the status of Canada, suggesting, in an apparent jab at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, that the United States’ sovereign northern neighbor could become a 51st state. Also over the weekend, he hinted that Washington could move to seize control of the Panama Canal, ceded back to Panama a quarter of a century ago, over what Trump termed excessive fees to transit the vital waterway.

There has been no indication the president-elect intends to follow up on any of these territorial propositions, or what would be the mechanism for doing so.

Why is Greenland strategically significant?

The island is home to a large U.S. military base. The melting of Greenland’s ice sheet, documented for years and known to be speeding up, could lead to the opening of previously blocked international shipping passages, spurring great-power competition in the Arctic. In addition, Greenland possesses immense mineral riches — gold, silver, copper and uranium — whose potential extraction would be complicated by harsh weather and lack of road access, as well as environmental concerns.

President-elect Trump dished out a fiery Christmas message on Wednesday in which he wished a “Merry Christmas” to “Radical Left Lunatics,” told the 37 prisoners whose death row sentences were recently commuted by President Biden to “GO TO HELL!,” and more.

“Merry Christmas to the Radical Left Lunatics, who are constantly trying to obstruct our Court System and our Elections, and are always going after the Great Citizens and Patriots of the United States but, in particular, their Political Opponent, ME. They know that their only chance of survival is getting pardons from a man who has absolutely no idea what he is doing,” Trump declared on Truth Social.

“Also, to the 37 most violent criminals, who killed, raped, and plundered like virtually no one before them, but were just given, incredibly, a pardon by Sleepy Joe Biden. I refuse to wish a Merry Christmas to those lucky “souls” but, instead, will say, GO TO HELL! We had the Greatest Election in the History of our Country, a bright light is now shining over the U.S.A. and, in 26 days, we will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. MERRY CHRISTMAS!” he added.

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Biden recently announced that he commuted the sentences of 37 prisoners on federal death row to life sentences without the potential for parole.

“Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” the president said in a statement, but noted that he is “more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.” 

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President Joe Biden speaks at the US Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In a separate post, Trump declared, “Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal (where we lost 38,000 people in its building 110 years ago), always making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in ‘repair’ money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about ‘anything.’

He also discussed Canada, referring to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the “Governor” of America’s northern neighbor, while suggesting that Canadian businesses would boom if the nation became a U.S. state.

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Justin Trudeuau, prime minister of Canada, and Joe Biden, president of the United States, talk as part of the G20 Summit Rio de Janeiro 2024 at Museu de Arte Moderna on Nov. 19, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Wagner Meier/Getty Images)

“Also, to Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada, whose Citizens’ Taxes are far too high, but if Canada was to become our 51st State, their Taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other Country anywhere in the World. Likewise, to the people of Greenland, which is needed by the United States for National Security purposes and, who want the U.S. to be there, and we will!” Trump declared.