# Trump now wants to use military force to take the Panama Canal and Greenland **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 7, 2025, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691 "2025-01-07T20:27:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 27
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/521 "2025-05-07T05:54:38Z")
The excuse seems to be, “Greenland is vital to US security interests.” Didn’t the US already try that with Project Iceworm and Camp Century back in the 1950s and 1960s? It was abandoned when it was found that it was unsuitable as a missile launching facility because the ice moved. If it didn’t work then, why would it work now? There’s some talk about natural resources, but with only a few exceptions, you’ve first got to get through all that ice before you can get to any land from which resources can be extracted. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/522 "2025-05-07T05:57:47Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > If it didn’t work then, why would it work now? Personally, I halfway believe the billionaire techbro sociopaths like Thiel and Musk see Greenland as a future refuge when global warming melts its ice and makes everywhere else unlivable, so they’re urging Trump to stake an American claim to the territory now. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/523 "2025-05-07T15:08:05Z")
I posted before that Greenland should start conscription to show the bully they are serious. I just thought of another good-to-me idea. Denmark should threaten to take back the formerly Danish U.S. Virgin Islands. Of course the Danes won’t do it. I doubt the Danes sufficiently understand the cowardly bully mindset. The Greenlanders would hate this, but I’d also love to see Denmark offer to start negotiations to trade Greenland for the former Danish West Indies. Denmark hopefully could drag out the negotiations until the next presidential administration comes in. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/524 "2025-05-07T15:11:24Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > I posted before that Greenland should start conscription to show the bully they are serious. Yes, changing part of your population’s status from civilian to combatant is clearly the safest move here. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/525 "2025-05-07T15:15:14Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Yes, changing part of your population’s status from civilian to combatant is clearly the safest move here. There is no safe move if Trump is serious. And if Trump is just trolling, there is no dangerous move. P.S. Background is that Denmark has conscription but Greenland does not. From a Greenland POV, this creates risk of a Greenland-Denmark rift. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/526 "2025-05-07T15:23:54Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > U.S. Orders Intelligence Agencies to Step Up Spying on Greenland The fuck are they spying on? The USA could conquer Greenland in a day. There is nothing left to know they need to know about. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/527 "2025-05-07T15:47:29Z")
“Wait, he’s _serious_?!?” “Yes. So we need to find a way to slow-walk this to let people around him come to their senses.” “But they’re in the tank for him too!” “It’s our best shot. So tell him we need to do a full intel assessment of the target, take a few months to map all that ice sheet. Then hopefully, when he tells us to go ahead, we can show him down some more by telling him we need a full logistics plan. Maybe we can put it off until the _Truman_ needs to go in for a refit, which we could maybe play for a further delay. Anything to keep the idiot-in-chief from invading the territory of a NATO ally. So get to it, and go _slow_.” ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/528 "2025-05-07T16:16:23Z")
**SunUp** got it in one. No hell-or-high-water blitzkrieg will be ordered. But the vague threat of same will be frequently invoked to tweak non-MAGA noses. Come January 21, 2029 … Greenland’s geopolitical situation will be the same as it was January 19, 2025. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/529 "2025-05-07T18:11:17Z")
I’m curious as to how they plan on dealing with resistance. I like to think exterminating entire villages is out of the question, but this is trump. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/530 "2025-05-07T18:19:10Z")
Slave labor? Declare the entire population to be non citizens without rights. Although in practice I expect most of the takeover would consist of flattening and burning all the various settlements, so there won’t _be_ all that many people to resist left. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/531 "2025-05-07T18:37:42Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > The classified message asked agencies, whose tools include surveillance satellites, communications intercepts and spies on the ground, to identify people in Greenland and Denmark who support U.S. objectives for the island. Man, I wish I could read the classified reports on the responses of Greenlanders asked about their support for “U.S. objectives for the island”. They are likely to be hilarious. I guess I’ll just have to wait until the Administration accidentally leaks the classified data on an insecure messaging app or otherwise mishandles it into the public domain. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/532 "2025-05-08T01:33:52Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I’m curious as to how they plan on dealing with resistance. I like to think exterminating entire villages is out of the question, but this is trump It’s working for Netanyahu in Gaza. You think Trump isn’t watching how that plays out? ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/533 "2025-05-08T02:07:17Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > > [@PastTense](#): > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > The classified message asked agencies, whose tools include surveillance satellites, communications intercepts and spies on the ground, to identify people in Greenland and Denmark who support U.S. objectives for the island. > > Man, I wish I could read the classified reports on the responses of Greenlanders asked about their support for “U.S. objectives for the island”. To achieve Trump’s stated aims, he needs quislings. If the CIA puts competent operatives on the job, they should find a few. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/534 "2025-05-08T02:44:16Z")
There’s no way Trump would ever _actually_ buy Greenland, for the simple reason that would require him to pay somebody what they are owed. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/535 "2025-05-08T02:47:19Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > If the CIA puts competent operatives on the job I think I see a flaw in your cunning plan. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/536 "2025-05-08T02:55:47Z")
I hope Greenlanders put the fear of God into any potential collaborators. . ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/537 "2025-05-08T13:00:27Z")
Nnnah, let’s not endorse literally intimidating or threatening people for having unpopular political views. If any Greenlander is naive enough to think “Yeah we’d be better off as part of Trump’s USA, let’s support this”, I don’t want them menaced. Mocked, sure. Menaced, no. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/538 "2025-05-08T13:07:19Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > The classified message asked agencies, whose tools include surveillance satellites, communications intercepts **and spies on the ground** > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > I posted before that Greenland should start conscription to show the bully they are serious. I think they should start a national contest to see how many people they can trick the US into recruiting as spies. Just make up some absolute bullshit, “I hear Joe the bartender is secretly involved in the Free Greenland Movement, but he’s in debt, so he might betray them!”, but have everyone agree to just confirm whatever bullshit an American agent asks them about. “Oh, sure, everyone knows Bob is looking into buying a nuclear weapon! He’s going to mount it on a weaponized elk.” ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/539 "2025-05-08T17:42:33Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > I just thought of another good-to-me idea. Denmark should threaten to take back the formerly Danish U.S. Virgin Islands. Trump might agree to that - if they let him keep [Little Saint James](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Saint_James,_U.S._Virgin_Islands). ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/540 "2025-05-08T19:40:55Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I hope Greenlanders put the fear of God into any potential collaborators. How does one do that without committing a crime? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=26) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=28)