# 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:** 47
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/921 "2026-01-24T20:56:32Z")
> [@Ancient\_Nerd](#): > > Two weeks is the standard business answer when schedules have been given no thought. Even more relevantly, it’s _Trump’s_ standard answer for something which either (a) he has not actually given any further thought to, and/or (b) he has no actual intention of actually delivering on. ---
**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 25, 2026, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/922 "2026-01-25T10:49:21Z")
Plenty of time to order a taco, then ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2026, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/923 "2026-01-26T11:18:08Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Every dollar and life we expended in Afghanistan to defend and help the USA was wasted. We’re talking about a leader who asked “what was in it for them” _of his own country’s war dead._ > [@RickJay](#): > > We should never, ever help the USA again. Not even for things like forest fires. Saddest part? At least 1/3 of Americans will believe it when told that’s proof NOBODY EVER helped. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/924 "2026-02-22T01:14:38Z")
Huh? [![](https://i.ibb.co/Dfv88XhN/FB-IMG-1771722718562.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/Dfv88XhN/FB-IMG-1771722718562.jpg) > **[Donald Trump reveals cryptic plan to send 65,000-tonne Navy ship to Greenland...](https://www.gbnews.com/politics/us/donald-trump-plan-navy-ship-greenland)** > > Mr Trump said he was 'going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick' ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/925 "2026-02-22T01:18:15Z")
Perhaps there are people in Louisiana (or elsewhere in the United States) who could benefit from this hospital boat? BTW, it seems obvious that Trump is insane and posts this shit without discussing such ideas with anyone. I suspect this is the first Jeff Landry has heard of the idea. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2026, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/926 "2026-02-22T01:44:28Z")
Sounds like grandpa is sundowning again. Per the article, Mercy has five months left on a year-long overhaul. It’s not sailing to Greenland any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/927 "2026-02-22T02:14:15Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Sounds like grandpa is sundowning again. He ordered something a bit similar when COVID hit NYC hard: [The 1,000-Bed Comfort Was Supposed to Aid New York. It Has 20 Patients.](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/nyregion/ny-coronavirus-usns-comfort.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OFA.d85j.j5-U6E8BS3Dc&smid=url-share) > [@](#): > > . > Another Navy hospital ship, the U.S.N.S. Mercy, docked in Los Angeles, has had a total of 15 patients, officials said. > > “If I’m blunt about it, it’s a joke,” said Michael Dowling, the head of Northwell Health, New York’s largest hospital system. “Everyone can say, ‘Thank you for putting up these wonderful places and opening up these cavernous halls.’ But we’re in a crisis here, we’re in a battlefield.” ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/928 "2026-02-22T03:34:50Z")
From article, it seems he may be referring to a US Sub in waters 7 nautical miles off coast that had a medical emergency. So, boat isn’t for Greenlanders, it seems? Just US soldiers that have poor healthcare? ---
**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:** [February 22, 2026, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/929 "2026-02-22T03:39:23Z")
My guess: Trump was briefed about the sub incident, his dementia-addled brain scrambled it into “Sir, there are many sick Greenlanders with tears in their eyes begging Trump to help them”, and he tweeted some AI slop without consulting anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/930 "2026-02-22T03:40:22Z")
Frankly it could mean anything. It could mean absolutely nothing. @Locrian probably has it. He saw or was told some random thing regarding a sub nearby that had a medical issue. Likely this is just another PR stunt that he thinks is making him look good. The relationship between Trump statements and reality is little more than coincidence. And that’s on a good day. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/931 "2026-02-22T04:58:36Z")
PR Stunt is right! Those loyalty freaks glance the headlines, think Orangeboy is being a True Patriot by lending help to undernourished countries! We SHOULD take over! We’ll be saving lives! And all that nonsense… ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/932 "2026-02-22T07:40:05Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > _“It’s almost impossible to believe he exists. It’s as if we took everything that was bad about America, scraped it up off the floor, wrapped it all up in an old hot dog skin, and then taught it to make noises with its face.”_ > > –Anthony Citrano That’s a beautiful quote worth reviving – I must keep it in mind for future use! > [@DavidNRockies](#): > > ETA: He also can’t keep straight that Iceland != Greenland. It’s just pathetic Well, Greenland is land, and it has ice, so what’s the difference to an America-centric True Patriot? They’re all furrin’ countries that need to be taken over. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2026, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/933 "2026-02-22T08:11:56Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Per the article, Mercy has five months left on a year-long overhaul. It’s not sailing to Greenland any time soon. The worse state the ship is in, the better. Perhaps it even sinks! Remember the **[Maine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Maine_(1890)#Sinking)** 1898? > “Remember the _Maine!_ To hell with Spain!” The Spanish–American War began on 21 April 1898, two months after the sinking. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/934 "2026-02-22T08:20:26Z")
When I was a kid, we lived down the street from a military family with eight sons, the oldest of whom was twelve years old. They were Catholic and Army, like us, so our mothers were close friends. The youngest son was just a mess. Hyperactive and loud, this child just crashed through life, desperate to achieve any amount of attention, negative or not, by any means necessary. He never saw a dish he couldn’t drop, or a vase he couldn’t topple. And his only moment of peace was the one in which his mother turned to glare at him. This is who Trump reminds me of. He’s always got a worse idea, a more destructive tantrum, and anything that blocks him spurs him on to greater destruction. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2026, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/935 "2026-02-22T08:41:38Z")
NM - irrelevant ---
**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:** [February 22, 2026, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/936 "2026-02-22T10:35:02Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > So, boat isn’t for Greenlanders, it seems? Just US soldiers that have poor healthcare? Greenland has better healthcare than Louisiana, certainly. And it’s free at the point of use. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/937 "2026-02-22T13:50:30Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Greenland has better healthcare than Louisiana, certainly. It depends on your metric. According to this 2025 article, there is, in Greenland, a big shortage of health care workers who know the most popular local language: [Greenland faces severe challenges with the recruitment and retention of health workers](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/22423982.2025.2506239#abstract) Of course, no one on our Navy hospital ships knows Kalaallisut AKA Greenlandic. If the U.S. actually conquers Greenland, and a Democratic president doesn’t give it back, I expect they will be forced to speak English, at least in school. That how dictatorships run. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/938 "2026-02-22T13:58:55Z")
From a Greenlandic newspaper using [using Google translate](https://www-sermitsiaq-ag.translate.goog/samfund/trump-i-ny-udmelding-vil-sende-hospitalsskib-til-gronland/2347728?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp): > [@](#): > > If Donald Trump and his supporters want to focus on a sore point, they can be said to have hit the right spot, as the quality and level of service in the healthcare system regularly creates great debate. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/939 "2026-02-22T14:57:09Z")
They always focus on sore points, that is what they have perfected: the politics of resentment and hate. What can I say? It is working like a charm for them. Still waiting for the backlash, the payday, the boomerang effect, call it what you want. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/940 "2026-02-22T22:48:43Z")
Greenland’s PM says no thanks, and both the Navy’s hospital ships are currently in drydock. This isn’t happening. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=46) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=48)