President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he will grant major pardons related to the 2021 Capitol attack when his supporters, fueled by his false claims of election fraud, rioted to stop the certification of his loss to Joe Biden.
On Tuesday he also refused to rule out military or economic action as part of his stated desire for the United States to regain control of the Panama Canal and acquire the Danish territory of Greenland.
Asked at a news conference if he could assure the world that he would not use military or economic coercion in his bid to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, Trump said: “No, I can’t assure you about any of those.” two things.” . “But I can say this: we need them for economic security.”
The extraordinary statement came as Trump further outlined an expansionist agenda, two weeks before taking office at the Jan. 20 inauguration in Washington.
He reiterated his interest in making Canada an American state and criticized American spending on Canadian goods and military support for Canada, one of the country’s closest allies.
Trump suggested he would impose tariffs on Denmark if it resists his offer to buy Greenland, which he says is vital to US national security. Denmark has said Greenland is not for sale.
Trump also promised to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America and reiterated his promise to impose significant tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
“It covers a lot of territory,” he said of the Gulf. “‘The Gulf of America’. What a beautiful name!”
His promise to rename the Gulf echoed his earlier promise to revert the name of Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, to Mount McKinley. Former President Barack Obama renamed the Alaskan mountain in deference to Native Americans.
Typically, geographic names are established by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, although presidents have also renamed geographic features through executive action.
Mexican and Panamanian authorities had no immediate comment. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino previously rejected the idea of returning the canal to the United States, which owned it before handing control to Panama in 1999.
Trump said NATO members should spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense, a significant increase from the current goal of 2%.
“I think NATO should have 5%,” he said. “Everyone can afford it, but they should be in the 5%, not the 2%.”
Trump has frequently complained that most NATO members are not paying their fair share, and during the campaign he demanded an increase in NATO defense contributions.
The news conference, Trump’s second since winning the Nov. 5 election, took place a day after Congress formally certified his victory.
The Jan. 6 certification, a basic and largely ceremonial step required by the U.S. Constitution, was disrupted in 2021 when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in a failed effort to prevent Trump’s victory. President Joe Biden on Trump.
Monday’s ceremony took place under tight security measures, but went without drama.
