While itās unclear how serious he is, Trump’s rhetoric alone has sparked concerns about imperialistic goalsĀ in his second administration, and what hisĀ endgame might be.Ā
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āIt is obviously out of the question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are,ā French Foreign Minister Jean-NoĆ«l Barrot said in aĀ local radio interview.Ā
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German ChancellorĀ Olaf ScholzĀ added in a press conference Wednesday that it was a āfundamental principle of lawā that āborders must not be moved by force.āĀ
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While analysts donāt see the threats as serious, they do think they could impact global relations. Matt Zierler, associate professor of international relations at Michigan State University, said Trumpās threats were ānot credible.āĀ
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āHis negotiation style is to go for the extreme rhetorical threat and then pull back from there,ā he said, but warned the threats were still concerning because they could deteriorate relations with allies.Ā
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Trump has not laid out any concrete plans for acquiring Greenland or the Panama Canal but has made his desire for both clear in the days ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 20.Ā
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In a Tuesday press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump, when asked if he could rule out military action or economic coercion to gain both countries, said āI canāt assure you on either of those two.āĀ
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The Pentagon on Wednesday said it was ānot awareā of any plans to invade Greenland if ordered to do so.
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āIām certainly not going to get into hypothetical situations. I think thatās for the incoming administration to speak to,ā deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. āWeāre concerned with the real national security concerns that confront this building every day.”
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Read the full report at TheHill.com.
