# 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:** 52
**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:** [July 8, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1021 "2026-07-08T17:59:34Z")
There is lots of evidence against it, and has been all along. But like I said, he’s not thinking. He’s just assuming. Assuming that whatever he wants is what will happen. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1022 "2026-07-08T21:45:21Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Denmark’s leadership should bait him: This would be a colonialist crime. ---
**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:** [July 8, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1023 "2026-07-08T23:06:40Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > > [@bordelond](#): > > > > Denmark’s leadership should bait him > > This would be a colonialist crime . ~~Denmark’s~~ Greenland’s leadership should bait him. Goad him into either slinking away (99.9999% outcome) or into immediately attempting to land troops (virtual impossibility). ---
**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:** [July 9, 2026, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1024 "2026-07-09T01:27:26Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Presumably you think that the EU _would_ be able to survive this. What makes it any more resilient to abruptly severing ties like this The fact that it’s[already in the process](https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/pathetic-in-ankara) of doing so. > American allies have begun pushing the gas pedal on an unprecedented experiment in de-Americanization. Authorities from France to the Netherlands are quietly removing American tech from their systems, adopting European open-source software and urging civil servants to no longer use Microsoft Teams or Office. Belatedly, they are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to try to boost Europe’s own private space firms, AI companies, and data centers, to avoid leaning on U.S. juggernauts. > > Europeans are running studies on where they would store their data or process their payments should friction with the U.S. escalate, and how well their American-made weaponry would operate without Washington’s authorization. Nations whose empires once spanned the globe are now stuck trying to extricate themselves from their humbling dependency on American technology and military power, without provoking the U.S. America is the enemy of the world, now; they _have_ to disengage from it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1025 "2026-07-09T13:15:12Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > It’s a sad, sad state of affairs when a stupid, mostly pointless war in one corner of the world might actually be delaying/preventing a far stupider, even more pointless war in another 😑. Trump’s likely next victim is Cuba, anyway. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1026 "2026-07-09T13:58:26Z")
America first. America, of course, means the USA. And the work is already quite advanced. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1027 "2026-07-09T14:53:35Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > However, since one party benefits by the Electoral College, getting rid of it would be difficult. People say this all the time and it’s really not true. Of the lowest ten states by population, it’s about 50:50. R: WY, AK, ND, SD, MT. D: VT, DE, RI, ME, NH, plus DC. Keep going and it shades towards the Republicans but then goes back some towards the Democrats. Next 10: R: WV, NE, ID, MS, KS, AR, IA. D: HI, NM, generally NV. Even if you don’t like the Electoral College, you still need 38 states to agree. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1028 "2026-07-09T17:24:44Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Trump’s likely next victim is Cuba, anyway. Yeah, could be. That would qualify as stupider and more pointless as well. I guess he just loves the idea of bombing countries into compliance with his vague “goals.” Much like Iran, good luck getting regime change in Cuba without putting a lot of boots on the ground. It’s not Venezuela. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1029 "2026-07-09T17:30:02Z")
Although he didn’t even achieve regime change in Venezuela; Delcy Rodriguez was appointed vice president by Nicolas Maduro and assumed the presidency when he was captured by the United States. ---
**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:** [July 9, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1030 "2026-07-09T18:21:31Z")
You should see Ms Machado’s face now, the one who gave President Ineptstein her Nobel Prize Medal for nothing. Literally nothing. She is not even allowed to return to the country: > **[¿Por qué María Corina Machado no puede regresar a Venezuela ahora?](https://www.cibercuba.com/noticias/2026-07-03-u1-e42839-s27061-nid334039-maria-corina-machado-puede-regresar-venezuela-ahora)** > > «¿Qué puede hacer ella en Venezuela en este momento? No tiene autoridad, no tiene ejército, no tiene fuerza. Lo que puede ocurrir es que arriesgue su vida innecesariamente», dijo Henrique Salas Römer en entrevista para CiberCuba > However, her specific attempt to fly from Virginia to Curaçao — with the intention of entering Venezuela — was blocked by the Trump administration itself, which warned her that the return journey would be at her own risk and without Washington’s backing. White House officials described the attempt as “counterproductive” and “ill-timed”, according to Bloomberg. Copa Airlines also refused to fly her, fearing reprisals from the Venezuelan regime, and Delcy Rodríguez’s government closed its airspace to prevent her entry. > **[Bloomberg: EE UU no respaldó regreso de María Corina Machado a Venezuela la...](https://www.elnacional.com/2026/06/bloomberg-ee-uu-no-respaldo-regreso-de-maria-corina-machado-a-venezuela-la-semana-pasada/)** > > María Corina Machado intentó regresar a Venezuela la semana pasada sin el respaldo de la administración de Donald Trump. > US officials warned that the return of the Nobel Peace Prize winner to Venezuela could lead to clashes with the caretaker government led by Delcy Rodríguez and divert attention from the rescue efforts following the earthquakes (both texts translated with DeepL(dot)com under my supervision) Of course she is not his type. She has no chance. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1031 "2026-07-09T18:39:13Z")
I wonder where Trump will deport her too? ---
**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:** [July 10, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1032 "2026-07-10T01:23:38Z")
To the Congo. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1033 "2026-07-10T04:19:31Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > You should see Ms Machado’s face now, the one who gave President Ineptstein her Nobel Prize Medal for nothing. Machado will not go down as one of the Nobel committee’s wiser choices. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1034 "2026-07-10T17:22:57Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Machado will not go down as one of the Nobel committee’s wiser choices It’s the fundamental flaw with the Nobel rules on only issuing prizes to living people. If they’re still alive, they can continue to make choices, and there’s a chance that some of them will make bad choices. It’s why it’s far safer to only honour dead people. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1035 "2026-07-10T21:51:24Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > > [@Tamerlane](#): > > > > It’s a sad, sad state of affairs when a stupid, mostly pointless war in one corner of the world might actually be delaying/preventing a far stupider, even more pointless war in another 😑. > > Trump’s likely next victim is Cuba, anyway. One could easily argue that the US _is already_ at war with Cuba. Remember in 1962 when the JFK administration went out of its way to avoid using the word “blockade” in describing what it was doing to Cuba with regard to Soviet missile shipments and went with “quarantine”? That’s because a blockade is unambiguously an act of war under international law. TFG’s administration has no problems using the word “blockade” to describe what it’s doing to Cuba, and what it was doing to Venezuela. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1036 "2026-07-11T17:50:29Z")
Maybe Denmark should point out to Trump how it could shut down the Øresund strait that is the outlet from the Baltic Sea. Maybe threaten to shoot at Russian oil tankers trying to sail through it? Worked for Iran! ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1037 "2026-07-11T23:46:30Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > Maybe threaten to shoot at Russian oil tankers trying to sail through it? Worked for Iran! Depends on the day of the week. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is hurting Denmark. Wouldn’t this just hurt Denmark more? There is a strong case to be made that if the U.S. sends its arctic-training soldiers to Greenland, they had best wait to see if the 2028 Democratic Party nominee is pledged to reverse the conquest. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1038 "2026-07-12T00:01:46Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > It’s a sad, sad state of affairs when a stupid, mostly pointless war in one corner of the world might actually be delaying/preventing a far stupider, even more pointless war in another 😑. Sad or not, I hope the 2026 Iran war makes further U.S. aggression less likely. I didn’t reply to your comment, I quote above, earlier, because of thinking it could be true. And, yes, it could be true. I hope it is true. My problem is inability to follow the logic. The type of troops who are stationed in the Middle East are ones trained for heat and/or heavy bombing. Greenland would, I’d think, require troops on the ground who are trained for cold, like these forces: > **[25 days at the top of the world with the Army's elite cold weather warriors](https://www.army.mil/article/293767/25_days_at_the_top_of_the_world_with_the_armys_elite_cold_weather_warriors)** > > Four 11th Airborne Division instructors summit Mt. McKinley, battling storms and executing a high-altitude rescue on North America's highest peak. > **[Cold Weather Operations Course](https://home.army.mil/drum/units-tenants/10th-mountain-division-mountain-training-group/cold-weather-operations-course)** As for Denmark fighting back, the worse the Iran War economic damage becomes, the more inward looking European countries like Denmark will become. Predicting a war is usually foolish because, between any pair of countries, wars are rare. But other than that, I’m having a hard thinking why Trump won’t order the invasion of Greenland before leaving office. It’s the only really practical way to achieve his goal of making the U.S. substantially bigger. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2026, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1039 "2026-07-12T00:44:26Z")
I don’t see a scenario where the US invading a NATO state doesn’t result in full-out war between the US and NATO. Trump is fundamentally averse to any war he can’t immediately win as seen by his repeated crashouts over Iran. He’s too chickenshit to do anything but keep whining about it out of the expectation that Denmark will give him what he wants to make him happy. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1040 "2026-07-12T01:07:27Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I don’t see a scenario where the US invading a NATO state doesn’t result in full-out war between the US and NATO. Whether Trump uses military force to take Greenland is of course a different question from that of how hard it is to do. However, I do not think there would be a big war. The U.S. would attempt a [coup de main](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_de_main) (Wikipedia link), and quickly gain the advantage. European leaders have over and over reacted to Trump’s bullying with calm talk rather than action. To Trump, Greenland is big. To Europeans, it is a 57,000 population microstate. It would not be, to them, worth going against a superpower, except in a small, almost symbolic, way. Denmark having conscription, while Greenland does not, is a factor. Danes may not care about this now, but once their sons and daughters start dying, they would find it intolerable. This is not an argument for Trump invading Greenland. My message to Republicans is that this would be, from their POV, worse than a crime. It would be an unpopular war, helping the Democrats, who would reverse the conquest once regaining the White House. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=51) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=53)