# 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:** 60
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1181 "2026-09-05T20:38:59Z")
> [@bashere](#): > > Trump can’t invade Canada or Greenland. It’s suicide. Healthy people don’t commit suicide. Does that truly apply to el donald? ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1182 "2026-09-05T22:00:27Z")
Thanks, _whooshed_ right by me! ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1183 "2026-09-06T00:22:30Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Figurative suicide but realistic destruction of the post WWII Western alliance, especially NATO. Trump hates NATO and would love to see it gone. There is also that theory where he is a “useful idiot” asset of the Putin regime, who shares similar goals. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1184 "2026-09-06T01:09:12Z")
> [@bobsmom101](#): > > Thanks, _whooshed_ right by me Me too. ---
**Author:** ![bashere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bashere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bashere)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1185 "2026-09-06T12:13:24Z")
Thank you, @Johnny_L.A . “Friend” might be a bit stronger than I needee, but that’s the analogy. You have someone loosely associated with your group. You want to kick back, have a couple beers, basically have some downtime in your life. And this…guy…who the bartender and the bouncers and, well, everyone, saw hanging out with you (Trump is, for good or for illl, mostly ill, POTUS. Your legally elected representative), has gotten to the “drunk and belligerent” phase of the evening (which isn’t really fair to alcohol - he was always like that) and has gone from saying “I could beat up everyone in this bar” to loudly saying “I could beat up everyone in this bar”, He isn’t your friend, and, in fact, you don’t even like the guy, and wonder who keeps inviting him to these gatherings. He does have. bunch of friends (for instance, this car sales man guy) who could maybe pick up a bar tab every once in a while, but somehow, you are stuck paying his tab, too. But, the people he is insulting may not always be great at distinguishing between “he’s your friend” and “actually, he doesn’t speak for us, we don’t like him, he’s a jerk”. So, you have to do something difficult, and get him to leave the bar before he gets you all kicked out. Unfortunately, at another table are 6 judges saying he hasn’t actually done anything illegal, so he can’t simply be expelled from the place. And half your group, some of whom may actually be decent people, don’t want to throw him out. So, you have to find a reasonable, preferably legal\*, way to get him out of the bar before real damage happens. It is a difficult, stressful, and unpleasant situation. Luckily, most people have decided simply to ignore him, but the bar has already told you that you can’t run a tab, and your drinks are being watered down. But sooner or later, there’s a chance he’s going to take a swing at someone, and at that point, the fact that you don’t like the…guy…is going to become academic. It probably won’t happen - he blusters, but he always chickens out. It is an analogy that is easy to extend to the point of absurdity, and catching it might depend on a certain life history that I need to remember is not universal. It is not something I envy you. I don’t know how to resolve that situation, either. But, it is past that time. That’s my analogy. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1186 "2026-09-06T21:08:42Z")
> [@bashere](#): > > So, you have to find a reasonable, preferably legal\*, way to get him out of the bar before real damage happens. It is a difficult, stressful, and unpleasant situation. “Legal” is the issue, in extending the analogy to Trump. We have three methods, all of which are enumerated in the Constitution, to remove a President from office. Two of the three could be initiated at any time, but the reality is that it’s extremely unlikely we’ll be rid of him before 2029, unless he actually dies in office. 1. Via being voted out of office, or reaching his term limit in the office. He is in his second term, and so is prohibited from serving a third term, but there are still almost 2 1/2 years left in his term, as the next Presidential election is in November of 2028, and the new President would not take office until January of 2029. Unlike in many parliamentary democracies, there is no mechanism in the U.S. for “calling an election early,” or a “vote of no confidence.” 2. Removal from office via impeachment. This was attempted against Trump twice during his first term: once in 2019, for his pressuring Ukraine to get dirt on Joe Biden, and once in 2021, in the immediate wake of the January 6th attack on the Capitol. However, impeachment is a _very_ high bar: the House of Representatives has to vote on an impeachment resolution, and if a majority of the House votes to impeach the President, he _is_ impeached. However, the Senate then needs to hold a trial to actually remove him from office, and _that_ trial requires a 2/3 majority to “convict”; with the Senate being fairly evenly split between Republicans and Democrats (the Republicans hold a slight advantage), and with very few Republicans willing to vote against Trump in this sort of thing, getting a conviction, and removing him from office, is effectively impossible at this point. 3. The 25th Amendment allows for the VP and the Cabinet to remove a President from office if they deem him to be unfit to serve. However, this can be challenged by the President, and would require a 2/3 majority in both chambers of Congress to make it stick; between the Cabinet being full of sycophants, and both chambers being controlled by the GOP, once again, this is an extremely unlikely path. ---
**Author:** ![Ancient\_Nerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed655f/32.png) [@Ancient\_Nerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ancient_Nerd)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1187 "2026-09-06T21:29:38Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > the reality is that it’s extremely unlikely we’ll be rid of him before 2029, unless he actually dies in office. Trying to invade Canada could be a bridge too far even for the Republicans. The senators and congressmen seem to not really like him, just tolerate him to avoid pissing off the cult. ---
**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:** [September 6, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1188 "2026-09-06T23:01:40Z")
> [@Ancient\_Nerd](#): > > Trying to invade Canada could be a bridge too far even for the Republicans. I, and many others, VERY much wish this to be the case, but every single time we think, “this has to be THE THING that causes Republicans to finally turn on Trump right?” It ends up not being the case. And we’ve had ten years of examples to pull from now that show that. Trump has demonstrated pretty thoroughly at this point that there is no “bottom” to American politics. At least not when it comes to him. Maybe he seems to be an example of only one, but I wouldn’t bet money on it. And besides, what happens when Trump actually gives the order to actually start dropping bombs or invading Canadian territory? What is Congress really going to do? We’ve been at war with Iran since February 28th. Nothing about it is legal. And it seems to be “a war” or “not a war” based on who’s talking and what time of the day it is. And the rest of us just sleep walk through it because what else is there? I don’t know. At the end of the day, I think it’s very unlikely he would give that order. Chalk it up to his Taco tendencies or his deep-seated cowardice and insecurities. But I think it’s unwise at this point to simply assume that he won’t do a thing because it’s unthinkable. It’s been one unthinkable thing after another for a decade now. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1189 "2026-09-07T10:23:42Z")
> [@Ancient\_Nerd](#): > > Trying to invade Canada could be a bridge too far even for the Republicans. He started an all-out trade war with Canada on false pretenses and the supposedly business-friendly Republicans respond by saying how terrible Canada is. There is no bottom, there is no red line to his behavior that today’s Republicans won’t lap it up. ---
**Author:** ![dcbwhaley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcbwhaley/32/21437_2.png) [@dcbwhaley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dcbwhaley)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1190 "2026-09-07T11:38:33Z")
There is some talk of him renaming New Mexico to New America [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/07/trump-suggests-renaming-new-mexico-new-america/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/09/07/trump-suggests-renaming-new-mexico-new-america/) ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1191 "2026-09-07T12:14:15Z")
“Oh, he’s just trolling people. He doesn’t mean it.” \ “Well, it’s about time that nasty blue state sounded more American.” ---
**Author:** ![dcbwhaley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcbwhaley/32/21437_2.png) [@dcbwhaley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dcbwhaley)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1192 "2026-09-07T15:45:41Z")
My favourite part of the **USA**. My favourite part of **America** is the Okanagan valley in Vancouver ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1193 "2026-09-08T22:37:14Z")
Trump, or TrumpWorld, yesterday released a map that is bad in all kinds of ways, the threat to Greenland being one. But, at least as I interpret it, the threat to Panama is waning: [Truth Social Map](https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117230286557431140) ---
**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:** [September 8, 2026, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1194 "2026-09-08T23:48:01Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > But, at least as I interpret it, the threat to Panama is waning That map is not that precise or deep. It’s a troll job—no more, no less. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1195 "2026-09-09T00:20:51Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > That map is not that precise or deep. It’s a troll job—no more, no less. Maybe. But try this in your favorite AI chatbox: “Give examples where nations released maps showing their presence in nations prior to invading said nations.” After checking the legitimacy of the links, you’re going to see that there are real precedents for this leading in a bad direction. Given that the U.S. has a fairly robust history of invading other nations, I can’t dismiss it. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2026, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1196 "2026-09-09T01:11:23Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > “Give examples where nations released maps showing their presence in nations prior to invading said nations.” The chatbot won’t account for the fact that Donald Trump is not a nation. He certainly is not the United States of America. His posts are not US policy. Some things he can make happen with the stroke of a pen, everything else he can’t. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2026, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1197 "2026-09-09T01:37:16Z")
Right now Trump is flailing around impotently in Iran because he’s too chickenshit to commit ground forces that will inevitably suffer casualties that will make him look bad, and blowing through our armaments, materiel, and troop morale in the process, while the flag ranks have been devastated Hegseth’s petty vendettas and obsession with image over performance. I don’t think we’re going to be in any condition to be invading anything anytime soon. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2026, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1198 "2026-09-09T01:49:03Z")
If Trump decides he wants an invasion, he will order an invasion. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1199 "2026-09-09T02:01:01Z")
Re last post: And if it is an invasion of Panama or Greenland he orders, I don’t see the military defying his orders. Probable? Impossible to say, just as it was impossible to say whether Putin would invade Ukraine. All I can say is that even normal U.S. presidents are known to invade countries, and they almost always (maybe always – too late for me to check now) threaten first. And the threats against Greenland are more frequent than those against Panama. To me, that has to mean something. P.S. I do think Trump is impressed by Greenland’s cold. Likely as not, he’d insist on August, although I think September in some Greenlandic towns is about as close to mild. So – probably not 2026. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2026, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691/1200 "2026-09-09T02:36:58Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > If Trump decides he wants an invasion, he will order an invasion. “If”. Iran is showing that he’s far too afraid of US casualties to invade anyone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=59) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-now-wants-to-use-military-force-to-take-the-panama-canal-and-greenland/1012691.md?page=61)