# 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:** 37
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/721 "2026-01-14T22:41:49Z")
It’s not lying, it’s “repeating false claims”. Thanks, AP, for summoning the courage to use the word “false”. > **[FACT FOCUS: Trump repeats false claims when discussing Greenland's security...](https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-greenland-denmark-trump-arctic-security-russia-china-6346aa8e86be594e467e8cc18f98357b?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share)** > > U.S. President Donald Trump has made an American takeover of Greenland a focus of his second term in the White House. ---
**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 15, 2026, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/722 "2026-01-15T00:53:34Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > But, again, China would love for the US to annex Greenland. It would give them a pretext to finally move on Taiwan. China doesn’t _need_ a pretext, and I doubt they care about one. Their claim is that Taiwan _is_ part of China and always has been, not that they intend to conquer a foreign nation. What _does_ matter to them is that the US conquering Greenland will further shred the alliances and reputation of the US. And best of all, _they_ wouldn’t even have to do anything; it would be a completely self inflicted wound. They must be very satisfied to see the US do the national equivalent of hitting itself repeatedly in the face with a hammer. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/723 "2026-01-15T00:54:52Z")
One of these days everyone will do a global find/replace and just call them **LIES** And yes, I think euphemisms undermine reporting of the bold bad truth. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/724 "2026-01-15T04:43:34Z")
Re Greenland statehood bill, depending on the exact text — which I cannot find — it is a great idea. If the conquest of Greenland automatically results in statehood, that means two automatic Democratic (or possibly Green) senate seats, plus one in thr House. This would be a poison pill preventing Trump from attacking Greenland. If in Congress, I would try to amend the bill to make it a felony to obstruct Greenland statehood and elections. There would also have to be a provision stating that if the Justice Departmrnt failed to prosecute alleged violations, people like you and me could sue to have the allegation go to a grand jury. EDIT: The Democratic House seat might be just as important as the Senate seats because it means an entire state delegation votes for the Democrats in event as presidential election goes to the House. What about Panama and Canada? Pass a statehood bill for them! Then there is Venezuela. Trump says he is acting president of Venezuela. They therefore deserve dozens of House seats, pronto. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/725 "2026-01-15T04:52:45Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > If the conquest of Greenland automatically results in statehood, that means two automatic Democratic (or possibly Green) senate seats, plus one in thr House. I wouldn’t bet on it. Presumably any conquest and annexation of Greenland would be followed by an effort to colonize it with patriotic (read: Republican) Americans to outvote those crafty Danes. Not that this bill has any chance of going anywhere. The biggest thing preventing Trump from trying to use force in Greenland is that American soldiers will almost certainly die, and he’s too chickenshit to authorize anything that isn’t a “perfect” victory, hence his refusal to actually commit to regime change in Venezuela instead of just declaring “we run the country” and leaving the chavistas in power. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/726 "2026-01-15T05:03:24Z")
Like **Der Trihs** said, China doesn’t need a pretext. They’ve always intended to annex Taiwan regardless of what anyone else says. It’s true that Trump going after Greenland would make China look less bad, but they don’t need him to do it for them to 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 15, 2026, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/727 "2026-01-15T05:03:52Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Not that this bill has any chance of going anywhere. It has no chance because Trump would realize it was a poison pill and veto. But let him. My mother is generally anti-Trump but has the idea that Trump’s threatened annexations would be good because they supposedly go in the direction of having a harmonious world government. Putting Trump in a position to veto, or otherwise reject, a statehood bill, would highlight that Trump’s aims are conquest and colonization. I would favor a bill saying that any new United States territory gains immediate statehood. But starting with Greenland is fine. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/728 "2026-01-15T10:12:38Z")
Considering that you can normally get about 20-25% of people to say they support ANYTHING in a poll, it’s rather telling that he can’t even reach that margin on this one. > **[86 percent in new poll against US taking Greenland by force](https://thehill.com/policy/international/5688901-greenland-military-force-survey-quinnipiac/amp/)** > > More than 8 in 10 Americans are opposed to the U.S. taking over Greenland by military force as President Trump ramps up pressure on the semiautonomous Danish territory, according to a new survey. T… ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/729 "2026-01-15T13:42:30Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > His graphic novel grasp of reality is insufficient for his ambitions. Well said. But he sure ruins a lot of peoples’ lives and more, in his attempts. > [@Smapti](#): > > Considering that you can normally get about 20-25% of people to say they support ANYTHING in a poll, it’s rather telling that he can’t even reach that margin on this one. Yes! When your failure margin is dipping even into the batshit crazies, you know your idea is wack. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/730 "2026-01-15T14:02:06Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > One of these days everyone will do a global find/replace and just call them > > **LIES** > > And yes, I think euphemisms undermine reporting of the bold bad truth. I’ve been consistently disappointed at the media’s reluctance to call Trumps blatant lies what they are. Instead, I’m ever-so-mildly happy when they hint at something such as “falsehoods,” or “lacking support.” As best I can understand, it has something to do with responsible media drawing some line I don’t appreciate between reportage and commentary. But ISTM that when lies are as blatant as Trump’s, it is actually a factual misrepresentation to not accurately describe them. ---
**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 15, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/731 "2026-01-15T14:03:15Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I wouldn’t bet on it. Presumably any conquest and annexation of Greenland would be followed by an effort to colonize it with patriotic (read: Republican) Americans to outvote those crafty Danes. Combined with good old fashioned genocide of all of the natives. ---
**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 15, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/732 "2026-01-15T16:45:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > genocide of all of the natives. Come on, only 50,000! That is peanuts for US standards. History will forget them soon enough. That is worth the whole enterprise for the temper tanTrump in the White House, even more so if it destroys NATO and divides Europe’s attention away from supporting Ukraine. No, no /s. He really means it. What I can’t get my head around is that the USA already _de facto_ own Greenland, can do there as they please, have a military base there and have closed several others because they don’t need them. Why does he act that way? It seems because he wants the world to prostrate themselves at his feet and to enter history books as the great man who got the most real estate for the USA since Louisiana or the like, nah, ever! He wants everybody to say he is a genius. He is sick in his fucking tiny little mind. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/733 "2026-01-15T17:05:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Combined with good old fashioned genocide of all of the natives. Wouldn’t have to do that. Just rule that they aren’t citizens. Turn Greenland into America’s rottenest borough, full of the votes of soldiers and people involved in extractive industries. Put Old Sarum to shame. Finally Donald Trump would get those 98+% majorities he craves like his role models Kim and Putin. ---
**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 15, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/734 "2026-01-15T17:51:32Z")
I wonder if Wormtongue (Miller) has calculated the effect of cutting off all trade with: - Albania - Belgium - Bulgaria - Canada - Croatia - Czech Republic - Denmark - Estonia - France - Germany - Greece - Hungary - Iceland - Italy - Latvia - Lithuania - Luxembourg - Montenegro - Netherlands - North Macedonia - Norway - Poland - Portugal - Romania - Slovakia - Slovenia - Spain - Turkey - United Kingdom ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/735 "2026-01-15T19:08:32Z")
Now some European countries are sending advance parties at the request of Denmark, to look into improving the defence of Greenland. Defence against Martians, of course. [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-send-reconnaissance-troops-greenland-government-says-2026-01-14/](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-send-reconnaissance-troops-greenland-government-says-2026-01-14/) , ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/736 "2026-01-15T19:12:34Z")
France sends „land, air and sea assets“. The Martian threat seems to be serious. > **[France to send ‘land, air and sea assets’ to Greenland](https://www.politico.eu/article/france-land-naval-air-military-assets-greenland/)** > > Emmanuel Macron also pledged higher defense spending and criticized French defense contractors in a wide-ranging speech. ---
**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 15, 2026, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/737 "2026-01-15T19:21:13Z")
So Elon Malfoy finally made it to Mars and is now coming back? Pity, I whish he’d stayed there forever. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/738 "2026-01-15T19:28:12Z")
We’re at the point where I saw the photo attached to this story, and I thought, “The Luftwaffe to the rescue!”, a phrase I’m pretty sure no English-speaking person has ever said before. > **[European troops arrive in Greenland as talks with US highlight 'disagreement'...](https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/15/2363610/-European-troops-arrive-in-Greenland-as-talks-with-US-highlight-disagreement-over-island-s-future?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web)** > > Troops from several European countries continued to arrive in Greenland on Thursday in a show of support for Denmark as � talks � between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. ... ---
**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:** [January 16, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/739 "2026-01-16T17:47:04Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > Now some European countries are sending advance parties at the request of Denmark, to look into improving the defence of Greenland. Defence against Martians, of course. Of course this gives T a potential face saving way to climb down, if and when reality bites: “We got the Yurpeens to step up and do what they wouldn’t have done to protect Greenland otherwise” ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/740 "2026-01-16T17:56:03Z")
> **[Trump threatens tariffs on nations opposing US control of Greenland](https://www.tmj4.com/world/europe/trump-threatens-tariffs-on-nations-opposing-us-control-of-greenland)** > > Trump threatens tariffs on nations opposing U.S. control of Greenland, amid pushback from European and NATO leaders siding with Denmark. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=36) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=38)