# What would realistically / actually happen if Trump invaded Canada and / or Greenland, Mexico, Panama, etc? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 13, 2025, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898 "2025-01-13T03:27:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/21 "2025-01-13T06:55:22Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I think invasion of Canada or Greenland is vanishingly small. Mexico is pretty small, with military action likely to be something like SOF raids or airstrikes. Panama… maybe. Yeah, it doesn’t seem to be a realistic proposition. Trump has spouted similar nonsense before, nothing came of it then. He’ll spout some other fantasy next week, and won’t follow up on that either. Someone else will have to latch onto it and spur him on for it to happen. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Since the attack on Mexico would be a part of the Right’s race war I’d expect the attack to be outright genocidal in nature, including a good chance of nuclear strikes on cities. Bwahahahaa, even if an invasion of Mexico happens (and I really think it isn’t), nuclear strikes simply aren’t going to occur. Nobody is going to nuke Mexico. If somehow an invasion of only one of Mexico, Greenland, Panama or Canada occurred. I’d think we’d probably try for a few years, and would probably be strategically defeated after a quick tactical defeat of their military eventually settles into an anti-insurgent war, until we eventually came to our senses and withdrew - _most likely_. If we were insane and pig headed enough to try to perform a leveling of all civilian areas of concern to this stupid goal, if we limited it to one country we could probably do that without resorting to nuclear weapons. If we tried to do all four at once? Nope, no way we could realistically do it. Yeah, we could _maybe_ use nuclear weapons to browbeat one country if we totally lost our minds. When we used them on the second one, another nuclear armed country would probably smite us in turn. After all, how long until we turned our sights on them? ---
**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 13, 2025, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/22 "2025-01-13T07:36:45Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Bwahahahaa, even if an invasion of Mexico happens (and I really think it isn’t), nuclear strikes simply aren’t going to occur. Nobody is going to nuke Mexico. If Trump doesn’t, the dictator after him will. Once the US goes full fascist I expect the large scale use of nuclear weapons on all the major population centers of Central America, South America and Africa as part of the race war to kill everyone who isn’t white. The white nationalists are genocidal admirers of Hitler, _of course_ they’d kill as many people as possible. China and India will likely be spared (at least at first) due to having nukes of their own. But Trump is probably going to nuke _somebody,_ just to take the last opportunity he’ll ever have to flex on the world like that. He was apparently only barely restrained from doing so last time, and he has less restraining him now. But I doubt he’ll care too much who gets it. ---
**Author:** ![BayLeaves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@BayLeaves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BayLeaves)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/23 "2025-01-13T07:54:50Z")
On another website I am on there is a lot of support for conquering Canada, Greenland, and Panama. We could not defeat North Vietnam and the Taliban, but these idiots think Canada, Greenland, and Panama would be easy. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/24 "2025-01-13T08:00:19Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > If Trump doesn’t, the dictator after him will. Yeah, get back to me when the invasion of Mexico happens and starts faltering. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/25 "2025-01-13T08:17:39Z")
If the US starts throwing nukes as a means of genocide then we are at WWIII. End of world stuff. No other country on the planet will sit by and tut-tut. The US will be a pariah in the complete sense of the word. The US would be utterly ostracized from the global community. There is a good chance the US gets nuked in response. If Trump tried to nuke Mexico to just kill brown people I suspect even his most MAGA stalwarts would balk and he’d be out of office. It is a bridge waaaay too far for all but the most rabid racists among them. Even the rabid racists would have to know this is not how to get what they want to achieve. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/26 "2025-01-13T09:02:10Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Once the US goes full fascist I expect the large scale use of nuclear weapons on all the major population centers of Central America, South America and Africa as part of the race war to kill everyone who isn’t white. This is the most insane post I’ve ever read on the board, no competition. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2025, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/27 "2025-01-13T09:27:53Z")
My take on all this is that there are only two possibilities: - Most likely, Trump is being his usual bullying self and plans to claim victory when his victims make a few concessions to his demands, and that’s as far as the insanity will go. - If he actually does try to carry out some of his more insane threats, the US Congress – which is pretty nutty and Trumpist but not actually insane – will once again vote for impeachment and this time convict. I really do think that Trump has become so unhinged that the chances of being removed from office this time are at least 50-50. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/28 "2025-01-13T09:37:19Z")
Nevermind Trump invading Canada or Mexico. How about invading the US? - [‘I Think Things Are Going to Be Bad, Really Bad’: The US Military Debates Possible Deployment on US Soil Under Trump; Trump has said he wants to use active duty U.S. troops to quell protests and round up immigrants. Will the military comply?](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/01/12/trump-military-immigration-domestic-deployment-00195609) > …According to nearly a dozen retired officers and current military lawyers, as well as scholars who teach at West Point and Annapolis, an intense if quiet debate is underway inside the U.S. military community about what orders it would be obliged to obey if President-elect Donald Trump decides to follow through on his previous warnings that he might deploy troops against what he deems domestic threats, including political enemies, dissenters and immigrants. ETA: ISTM Trump will go after people in the US and see how far he can go with the military before he ever goes after other countries. ---
**Author:** ![ZenithBlade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/54ee81/32.png) [@ZenithBlade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenithBlade)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/29 "2025-01-13T10:27:06Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I really do think that Trump has become so unhinged that the chances of being removed from office this time are at least 50-50. NGL, i wouldn’t be surprised if Trump has dementia, and this power trip he’s on is the dementia getting worse ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/30 "2025-01-13T11:18:13Z")
gee, what a fun thread! Invading Canada would in the long run be great for the average American… Ya see, everybody’s worried about the tanks and artillery and stuff; And sure, American can beat Canada on that issue. But, y’all are forgettin’ that Canada’s got a secret weapon, too: It’s called “health care”. So let the US army drive tanks along Canadian highways as much as they want!!! When they make Canada the 51st state, then. like Mick Romney’s Massachusetts, the state of Canada would have its own health care system. Which is no-brainer obviously better than what most US citizens have. So then half the population of America will move across the state line to Canada. Win-Win for everybody!!! potential problems with my genius idea: 1. Canada is too cold. 2. Maple trees are nice, but you only need one or two on your lawn. Too many in one place is boring.Nobody wants to live in a boring state. 3. Canadians talk funny (eh? ). 4. the Mounties look silly in red jackets. 5. Canadians are too nice to be real Americans, anyway. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/31 "2025-01-13T11:45:26Z")
Russia and China would expand their territory too using the US’s expansion as justification of this new world order where strategic and economic needs of a nation is reason enough, possibly the EU would become more authoritarian in response. Middle east would be interesting, not sure if they are able to also unify, but with nukes maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/32 "2025-01-13T11:51:05Z")
AFAIAW Trump has never suggested the possibility of invading Canada, just that he thinks Canadians would prefer to be part of the US and he would support that. I could see him putting tariffs on Canadian goods trying to cripple the economy so that it is bullied into joining the US but I do not think that will work. Panama and Greenland are a different matter, while unlikely I think it possible he would carry out his threat, an invasion of Panama will create words of discontent but likely little else if use of the canal is not restricted. It would not be completely unlike the invasion of Granada. Greenland is part of Nato so in theory the rest of NATO would risa up against the US in practise though I see this would just mean the end of NATO. Not sure who if anyone Europe would align with, individual countries would not be able to trust any “allie” so would be much more inwardly focussed, Putin would be allowed to take Ukraine, and probaly the rest of the Warsaw Pact counties bit by bit. If China is significant affected by his antics, they could try to pull together an anti American alliance, that is when things could get really bad. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/33 "2025-01-13T12:36:54Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Afghanistan is about the same population as Canada and the US couldn’t achieve victory in 20 years there. I suspect the US would learn the same lesson in Canada. > > The US trying such a thing would wreck both countries (in different ways) for a century or more. Perhaps, but Canada has a lot more lose than Afghanistan, and a lot more in common with the US. If it comes to a military confrontation with the US, they may decide it’s not worth the devastation it would produce. (I pray it doesn’t come to that). Honestly I’m not quite sure how to forecast this, as it’s such uncharted territory. The wildcard, as it’s always been in the Trump years, is how corruptible governments can be when they’re faced with a gigantic carrot and a gigantic stick. Imagine you’ve got the 3rd infantry division parked on your border, and a signed offer to buy Canada for a trillion dollars (idk, just making up a hypothetical). There’s some unknown point where those incentives align, and Canadians would rather get a large-ish amount of money than see Toronto reduced to rubble. Most Canadians would like to pretend there’s no such point, even at the extremes, but I find that unlikely. Again I don’t know what that point is, or whether Trump can achieve it, but it would be premature to rule it out. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/34 "2025-01-13T12:39:50Z")
He would push through an amendment eliminating the term limits for a president and get reelected by an even wider margin in 2028? Seeing what’s happening in this nation, it wouldn’t surprise me. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/35 "2025-01-13T12:42:20Z")
> [@Jegpeg](#): > > I could see him putting tariffs on Canadian goods trying to cripple the economy so that it is bullied into joining the US but I do not think that will work. Canada has said that if Trump does this, it will just plain stop exporting petroleum products, wood products and cars to the US (Canada assembles cars) So look for a large increase in the price of gas, new homes and cars. Way to go Trumpy. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/36 "2025-01-13T13:11:52Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > He would push through an amendment eliminating the term limits for a president… There is no way he gets enough votes for this. Trump may have 50% of the government not the 66% needed for this (plus the states). ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/37 "2025-01-13T13:11:56Z")
> [@Jegpeg](#): > > AFAIAW As far as I a walrus? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/38 "2025-01-13T13:19:33Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Canada has said that if Trump does this, it will just plain stop exporting petroleum products, wood products and cars to the US (Canada assembles cars) You forgot electricity. Quebec and Ontario export electricity to the US northeast. Sorry New York, but Times Square will go dark until Trump resigns, dies, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/39 "2025-01-13T15:43:09Z")
Trump hates New York. Really hates it (who prosecuted him). Trump will be thrilled to black out Times Square. ---
**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 13, 2025, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898/40 "2025-01-13T15:46:01Z")
If the USA did invade and conquer Canada, we might see a 30-year insurgency similar to The Troubles in northern Ireland, but on a scale ten times bigger. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-realistically-actually-happen-if-trump-invaded-canada-and-or-greenland-mexico-panama-etc/1012898.md?page=3)