LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — Recent remarks from President Donald Trump have made many wonder if his new term will be one consisting of neo-American imperialism. Trump claimed that he wanted to make Canada the 51st state and made remarks about buying Greenland from Denmark, but now that these offers have been turned down, his offers have turned into threats. Even the small country of Panama has faced threats from Trump, who wanted control of the Panama Canal.
Why are there ideas of buying new land like Greenland or taking land by force? During the Trump Mar-a-Largo conference, Trump was asked about taking Greenland and the Panama Canal and didn’t rule out the idea, replying that owning Greenland would be for economic security. Throughout social media, Trump frequently mentioned adding both as new U.S. territories.
“Why would we need to expand our borders in a war that would only put us into debt and potentially lose allies?” Mrs. Grimshaw, a Los Alamitos High School history teacher, said.
One reason expansion could be a bad idea is that it could worsen tension with U.S. allies. Denmark, which owns Greenland, is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the military alliance that the U.S. is part of. Threats against a NATO member could lead to inner turmoil and an unwillingness to work with the U.S., further distancing us from the world, especially European countries.
It’s doubtful Trump would use military force against a European country and NATO members like Denmark. Still, as Trump reveals his unpredictability during the first month of his term, countries view his threats as a wake-up call and potential for real danger.
National security is a current political focus for the U.S., and many in Congress feel the threat of China is a dangerous reality. Congress’s banning of TikTok is an example of American fear of China as Congress successfully banned TikTok for 12 hours on Jan. 18. According to CBS, fears about China and national security have raised many worries about cyber attacks and China taking the data of U.S. citizens.
“I feel like he’s playing a game of chess with China to get them to overextend their resources (and) at the same time trying to get the U.S. ahead,” Mr. Cadwallader, another LAHS history teacher, said.
America’s rivalry with China has been a long-lasting issue, seen recently when Trump invested $500 billion in AI. In response, China released Deepseek, a competitor to Open AI’s ChatGPT. With new competition from a Chinese company, the stock market was unprepared; many thought AI was an American-dominated industry, causing people to lose their investments.
One thing to remember about Greenland is that it’s not just new land to gain, it’s an autonomous territory that’s been a part of Denmark for hundreds of years with thousands of people who live on the island. Many of them do not want to be taken over by a different government across the Atlantic Ocean.
An unexpected claim by Trump comes out during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. According to AP News, Trump remarked that the U.S. would take over the Gaza Strip, relocating its 2.1 million people to other places as well as rebuilding Gaza as an American enclave. Since this statement, many United Nations members have condemned the idea. Trump’s Gaza plan, if it goes into effect, would violate rule 129 of international law, according to the IHL database.
Trump’s remarks have been proven to be only words for now, but the worry about the possibility of new American expansion under Trump’s administration has been growing since he’s been elected. The possibility of taking Greenland and Panama is unlikely but the consequence of using these threats have already impacted the U.S. and its relations with its allies.
