President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using economic and military coercion to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland during a press conference Tuesday after devoting much of his impromptu speech to outlining his strategic goals in the Western Hemisphere.
In the first question of his post-speech press conference at Trump’s West Palm Beach, Florida, estate, a reporter asked Trump about his plans to secure American interests in Panama and Greenland, two countries he thinks are vital to America’s prosperity and security.
“Can you assure the world that as you try to get control of these areas you are not going to use military or economic coercion?” asked the reporter.
Trump swiftly replied, “No.”
“I can’t assure you—you’re talking about Panama and Greenland—no, I can’t assure you on either of those two, but I can say this: We…
