# 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:** 32
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/621 "2026-01-05T00:37:40Z")
[CBS News: Denmark prime minister calls on Trump to “stop the threats” about Greenland](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/denmark-trump-aide-stephen-miller-wife-katie-miller-posts-image-us-flag-greenland/) > [@](#): > > And on Saturday, the wife of one of Mr. Trump’s most influential aides fanned the criticism when she posted a social media picture of Greenland painted in the colors of the United States flag. > > Katie Miller — wife of Mr. Trump’s deputy chief of staff [Stephen Miller](https://www.cbsnews.com/tag/stephen-miller/) — put the contentiously altered image of the Danish autonomous territory [on her X feed](https://x.com/KatieMiller/status/2007541679293944266?s=20) late Saturday, hours after [the U.S. military operation against Venezuela](https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/venezuela-us-military-strikes-maduro-trump/). > > Her post had a single word above it: “SOON.” I saw the above mentioned on another thread and was hoping for it being a fake, or a different Katie Miller. But I suppose CBS News still has some remaining reliability, so, unfortunately, no. Someone may shout 4D chess at me again, but I’m afraid the likelihood is that Ms. Miller’s threat is planned and authorized from high up in the administration. > [@](#): > > In response, Denmark’s ambassador to the U.S., Jesper Moeller Soerensen, reacted on Sunday [with his own post](https://x.com/DKambUSA/status/2007607563601273179?s=20) saying “we expect full respect for the territorial integrity” of Denmark, above a link to Katie Miller’s image. > > “We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” Soerensen said of Denmark’s relationship with the U.S. They are correct not to insult or taunt Trump. But the message is not good enough. The bully would be more likely to back down if the Greenland government was [Churchillian](https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org/we-shall-fight-on-the-beaches.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22874803617&gbraid=0AAAABA_pmTJUY7-TDoes8y3ut3o3J7yTg&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvOjKBhC9ARIsAFvz5liT8rBx1QM2sRVxdppEIyDtbghb5EuOMrBJJ1TFvtCk0Bt7Gpjdnp0aAmDiEALw_wcB): > [@](#): > > we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender If Trump thinks it will be easy, I’m coming to think he will do it. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/622 "2026-01-05T01:07:19Z")
P.S. On my last post: I don’t literally think Greenlanders (and Panamanians) should quote back Churchill’s words to Trump – that would be a taunt and a dare. Greenlanders should, with different words, commit to a long-term determination to resist U.S. colonialism, giving the U.S. another endless war should it attack. Is this absurd because of the power disparity? Maybe – but just in the very short run. Outsiders have historically given up on small nations that turned out to be resilient and/or able to bounce back. It is impossible to prove there would be an endless war, but putting the possibility in Trump’s mind may be good enough. Trump has repeatedly stated that the U.S. lost no troops in Venezuela, and even mentioned a lack of serious injuries. This is a tell that he is highly casualty adverse. Panama and Greenland should have this in mind as a weakness of the current administration. If Trump thinks even a dozen U.S. troops will die, he will hesitate. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2026, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/623 "2026-01-05T05:32:46Z")
They need nukes. _Every_ country should be trying to get nukes as a matter of self-preservation. It’s the only thing that will make the US back off. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/624 "2026-01-05T08:19:53Z")
**[Ann Telnaes](https://anntelnaes.substack.com/p/the-wife-of-stephen-miller-posts?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1250616&post_id=183447699&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=203721&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email)** take on the disgraceful xit: [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QjAK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd3132f99-374d-435b-8841-bc3e72cfc5c9_2100x1800.jpeg) ](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QjAK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd3132f99-374d-435b-8841-bc3e72cfc5c9_2100x1800.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/625 "2026-01-05T13:07:40Z")
She doesn’t understand who is gonna be in the box. And it can’t happen soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/626 "2026-01-05T14:15:19Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > They need nukes. _Every_ country should be trying to get nukes as a matter of self-preservation. It’s the only thing that will make the US back off. That’s the logic cited by 2nd Amendment proponents in the US… _What we need to make America more safe is to ensure that everyone is heavily armed_. Experience has shown that the proliferation of weapons and their increased accessibility to more people contributes to more heinous crimes being committed with those firearms as more kooks get their hands on them. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/627 "2026-01-05T14:33:35Z")
That position is invalid because there’s an effective state that can take care of maintaining the peace and enforcing the laws. Being no such thing in an international level, and the few norms and sporadically enforced “international laws” being on the wane I think it behooves any nation that values its sovereignty to get nuclear weapons ASAP. Orrr, we could work to establish an effective international order, but that doesn’t seem to be the way we are going. ---
**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:** [January 5, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/628 "2026-01-05T15:47:59Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > That’s the logic cited by 2nd Amendment proponents in the US… _What we need to make America more safe is to ensure that everyone is heavily armed_. No, they push weapons that won’t work, _because_ they won’t work. The authoritarians would hardly push so hard for gun ownership if guns actually helped against the government. Nukes however _will_ in fact get the US to back off. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/629 "2026-01-05T19:30:38Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Nukes however _will_ in fact get the US to back off. Is this about Panama and Greenland? I’m pretty sure their try to develop nuclear weapons would fail. If we are talking about an idle threat to develop nuclear weapons, Trump would respond with a conventional invasion. If you mean Denmark, I have no idea if they could do it. But Greenland wants to get out from under Denmark. Greenland and Panama need a credible deterrent threat that the U.S. would lose hundreds of troops should it invade.. That means conventional weapons. ---
**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:** [January 6, 2026, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/630 "2026-01-06T00:43:20Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Is this about Panama and Greenland? It’s about everyone. _Every_ country needs nuclear weapons they can point at the US. ---
**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:** [January 6, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/631 "2026-01-06T19:31:55Z")
Yeah, but making one on the sly would be very difficult. If you don’t have one by now, you never will. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/632 "2026-01-06T20:31:31Z")
[Danish prime minister says a U.S. takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO](https://apnews.com/article/denmark-greenland-trump-2b12bb104faaaafda2ed270febfb0522) What a depressing headline. Ending NATO is just what Trump wants. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/633 "2026-01-06T20:33:05Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Ending NATO is just what Trump wants. Correction: Ending NATO is what Putin wants, and he has told Trump to move forward to accomplish this. Trump is a Russian asset. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2026, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/634 "2026-01-06T23:35:53Z")
Do these taken together give some realistic hope? > **[Ranking Member Shaheen, Senator Tillis Statement on Greenland’s Sovereignty...](https://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/dem/release/ranking-member-shaheen-senator-tillis-statement-on-greenlands-sovereignty-and-upholding-americas-alliance-with-denmark)** > > WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), Co-Chairs of the bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group, issued the... And: [**Greenland war powers vote** could be heading to Senate floor](https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/01/06/congress/greenland-war-powers-gallego-00712605) > [@](#): > > War powers resolutions are privileged under Senate rules, meaning Gallego and others can force the chamber to weigh in on the issue. Democrats have previously forced votes to rein in Trump’s strikes against suspected drug smuggling boats and on attacking Venezuela, though both efforts failed. > > Greenland could be different, however, given that it is territory belonging to a NATO ally. Based on the following precedent, I’m almost certain he would veto the resolution: [New York Times, April 2019: Trump Vetoes Measure to Force End to U.S. Involvement in Yemen War](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/16/us/politics/trump-veto-yemen.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CVA.9Lie.s5Wr8-kP5Y-P&smid=url-share) But maybe there’s hope that in his veto message, he’d claim never to have wanted to invade Greenland, and then would not. If they do pass a Greenland resolution, then the Democrats should try a Panama resolution. But do one at a time to get the biggest possible coalition on each. I’m going to write my House member, and maybe a senator or two. P.S. Checking further, I see that Gallego introduced the Greenland resolution as an amendment to the defense appropriations bill. So maybe it would be hard to veto: > **[Gallego\_Greenland-Amendment.pdf](https://www.gallego.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Gallego_Greenland-Amendment.pdf)** > > 17.95 KB ---
**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:** [January 6, 2026, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/635 "2026-01-06T23:45:57Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > P.S. Checking further, I see that Gallego introduced the Greenland resolution as an amendment to the defense appropriations bill. So maybe it would be hard to veto: Nah, Trump would just veto it, and loudly proclaim that the Evil Democrats are blocking paying our troops. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/636 "2026-01-07T00:13:27Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Do these taken together give some realistic hope? No, these two together are basically performance art. Until Trump is removed, and the entire Republican Party as it exists currently is taken to the crossroads and a stake driven through it’s heart and the ground all around salted… I will still be worried. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/637 "2026-01-07T00:31:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Nah, Trump would just veto it, and loudly proclaim that the Evil Democrats are blocking paying our troops. I’m thinking of stopping one particular Trump crime – the invasion of Greenland – rather than gaining a political advantage. But I suspect that if Trump vetoed the Defense Appropriations Bill, because of Greenland, that would poll poorly, pay or no pay. Democrats could also honestly point out that during the shutdown, Trump (illegally) paid the troops. So he could pay them if he wanted. This then comes back to – not paying troops in order to invade Greenland will be unpopular. I feel a little dirty posting this way because he might then go back to threatening Panama, and the U.S. taking back the Canal Zone seems to me potentially popular in the U.S. at least if our casualties were low. ---
**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:** [January 7, 2026, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/638 "2026-01-07T00:56:40Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > But I suspect that if Trump vetoed the Defense Appropriations Bill, because of Greenland, that would poll poorly… Yes, we know how much he cares about polls. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/639 "2026-01-07T01:29:26Z")
Re last post, it’s impossible to read someone’s thoughts. My point was that the dictator loses power if unpopular. This is more true with a strongman like Trump who is unable to send people like us to a gulag. See: [How Modern Dictators Survive](https://www.eui.eu/Documents/DepartmentsCentres/Economics/Seminarsevents/Guriev-Micro.pdf) But if the above is dismissed, I’d say he cares enough to spend lots of time lying about what the polls say. It’s not necessarily that everyone important studies the polls. SCOTUS justices would say they ignore them, and maybe they do. But their civil rights rulings rarely, if ever, radically deviate from what the median voter would approve of. And I expect the elections this November will be a referendum on Trump. When you are a modern dictator in what’s still a hybrid regime, opinion matters. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/640 "2026-01-07T03:41:21Z")
How much risk is there that China could launch a surprise attack against Greenland? Gain control in a few days? The US would be left kicking sand unless we wanted a major war against China. That’s why there are defense agreements with smaller countries. We may need to strengthen Thule Air base in Greenland to protect Geostrategic interests. I think any discussion that the US takes over Greenland is absurd. It definitely doesn’t help that Trump is making public threats. Quiet diplomacy with Greenland’s government makes a lot more sense. Offer to strengthen their defenses with a UN base. Link [Trump says the US ‘needs’ Greenland. Here are five reasons why | The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/why-does-trump-want-greenland-denmark-b2895347.html) > [@](#): > > Greenland sits off the northeastern coast of [Canada](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/canada), with more than two-thirds of its territory lying within the [Arctic Circle](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/arctic-circle). That has made it crucial to the defence of North America since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to ensure it didn’t fall into the hands of Nazi Germany and to protect crucial [North Atlantic](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/north-atlantic) shipping lanes. > > Following the Cold War, the Arctic was largely an area of international cooperation. But climate change is thinning the Arctic ice, promising to create a northwest passage for international trade and reigniting competition with [Russia](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/russia), [China](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/china) and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=31) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=33)