# 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:** 28
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/541 "2025-05-08T20:27:36Z")
I’d imagine it’s pretty easy in Greenland to give someone the cold shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/542 "2025-05-08T20:36:02Z")
I heard everyone there has an icepick. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2025, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/543 "2025-05-09T00:41:06Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I think they should start a national contest to see how many people they can trick the US into recruiting as spies. Aide: “Mr. President, we’ve recruited 95,000 Greenlanders as informants and spies. The simpletons are only asking $500/month each!” Trump: “That’s cheap. Great work, guys!” Other aide: “Hang on. Aren’t there only like 55,000 people there? That’s what Wikipedia says.” Aide: “Fake news! Actually, it turns out that a lot of them have twins that aren’t on the census. You know, to save on taxes.” Trump: “See! These Greenlanders are smart. I knew I liked them.” ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/544 "2025-05-10T01:25:32Z")
Diabolical! ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/545 "2025-05-10T03:01:42Z")
[Reuters Exclusive: US weighs special status for Greenland as quest for island intensifies](https://www.reuters.com/world/us-weighs-special-status-greenland-quest-island-intensifies-2025-05-09/) > [@](#): > > U.S. officials are discussing a plan to pull Greenland into America’s sphere of influence using a type of agreement that the United States has used to keep close ties with several Pacific Island nations, according to two U.S. officials and another person familiar with the discussions. > Under the plan being considered, the Trump administration would propose to Greenland’s leaders that the island enter into a so-called Compact of Free Association, or COFA, with the United States. . . . > > A COFA agreement would stop short of Trump’s [ambition](https://www.reuters.com/world/wife-us-vice-president-vance-make-high-profile-visit-greenland-2025-03-23/) to make the island of 57,000 people a part of the U.S. As I think I mentioned before, in the COFA model, you are your own country, with an independent foreign policy, UN membership, American military defense, the U.S. dollar, and the right to drop U.S. links with enough prior notice.. As of today, I’m guessing that COFA would sound good to many of anti-Demark pro-independence Greenlanders. But a few months from now, should U.S. inflation heat up, switching from the Danish krone to the.dollar will not sound so good to them. On the U.S. side, COFA would sound peachy to the like of Waltz, Rubio, and Wiles. Maybe one of those is the leaker floating the Reuters story. Trump? I suppose he’d consider whether he could lie and say that Free Association equals annexation. Maybe the leak is a trial balloon coming from him! But MAGA-ville would notice the absence of stars and stripes, and dislikes half-measures. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/546 "2025-05-10T03:26:51Z")
P.S.on last post: My last paragraph was careless because Reuters says that there were three sources, two officials and “another source.” Who could the non-official be? Is Elon Musk no longer an official? Is Mike Waltz officially in between administration jobs? Is Trump himself not what they consider an official? Or is there a plausible lower level official who was recently fired? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/547 "2025-05-10T09:56:09Z")
It could be some influencer, or a professional loudmouth like Looner, or Kid Rock for all we know. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/548 "2025-05-10T11:48:15Z")
Re last post, Laura Loomer Leaks has a ring to it. [In a phone call with the BBC, Ms Loomer said it would be “inappropriate” to divulge details of her meeting with Trump on Wednesday.](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly8y27dwgpo) So she doesn’t leak “details,” just the broad strokes. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/549 "2025-05-10T13:25:17Z")
She has a concept of “inappropriate”?! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/550 "2025-05-10T13:42:25Z")
Of course. “Inappropriate” means “something that somebody else does”. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/551 "2025-05-11T14:33:54Z")
I have another theory regarding the orders to the intelligence services that might be slightly less alarmist (but still indicating Trumps messed up priorities). It may just be that Trump is frustrated with the fact that in spite of his claims that there is wide popular support for Greenland joining the US, all the interviews of Greenlanders vary between confusion, bemused disbelief and outright hostility to the idea. So in typical crude Trumpian fashion using a bazooka to kill a fly with a bazooka he has redirected the to clandestine intelligence service in the world to find someone, anyone, who they can put in front of a camera who says its a good idea. I’m not saying it is the most likely scenario but it is an alternative that should be considered. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2025, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/552 "2025-05-13T13:18:50Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > 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. I have in my hand [a report](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Smilla's_Feeling_for_Snow) that an island off Greenland contains a rare and valuable meteorite the Danish are keeping secret. The US should totally get on that. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/553 "2025-06-03T00:19:04Z")
[POLITICO: Pentagon to redraw command map to more closely align Greenland with the US](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/02/pentagon-greenland-northern-command-00381223) > [@](#): > > Under the plan, Greenland would shift from European Command’s jurisdiction to Northern Command, which is responsible for overseeing the security of North America, according to a DOD official and two people familiar with the planning. The people were granted anonymity to discuss the move ahead of its announcement. > > The switch is the most concrete step yet in the Trump administration’s months-long effort to gain ownership over Greenland, an autonomous island aligned with Denmark. Unimportant, because TACO? I hope so but do not know what to think. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/554 "2025-06-03T00:47:55Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Northern Command, which is responsible for overseeing the security of North America North America in general? How does that work if the USA is threatening Canada? I mean, up until a few months ago that didn’t seem an issue likely to come up. But – ---
**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:** [June 3, 2025, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/555 "2025-06-03T13:36:48Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > North America in general? How does that work if the USA is threatening Canada? “Security” in this context meaning “absolute submission to America”. Standard expansionist regime talk. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2025, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/556 "2025-06-03T17:42:19Z")
I still want to see how they plan on dealing with the resistance. It would be difficult to massacre whole villages in the age of the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2025, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/557 "2025-06-03T17:48:11Z")
The storming of the US capitol was broadcast live and we still have people who think it was peaceful. Millions of Americans could watch a village go up in smoke on live television and a few days later tell you it was fake news or Antifa. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2025, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/558 "2025-06-03T21:46:51Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Unimportant, because TACO? Yes, unimportant. I’m a little surprised Politico gave that any oxygen. _Carve it in stone:_ Come January 21, 2029, the geopolitical statuses of Greenland and Canada will be unchanged from what they were January 19, 2025. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/559 "2025-06-05T09:51:05Z")
Also, what could people really do about it? Protest? Trump doesn’t care. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2025, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/560 "2025-06-05T10:26:39Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > I still want to see how they plan on dealing with the resistance. “There won’t be any resistance, they will all immediately surrender and become loyal Trump supporters”. Trump doesn’t really “plan” as such; he just assumes that whatever he decides _will_ happen the way he _wants_ it to happen and is surprised whenever the rest of the universe fails to comply. It works well enough in America where everyone of importance just instantly rolls over for him, but fails immediately when applied to other nations where that isn’t so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=29)