President-elect Donald Trump declined on Monday to rule out military or economic action as part of his avowed desire to have the U.S. take back control of the Panama Canal and acquire Danish-controlled Greenland.
Asked at a press conference whether he would avoid using military or economic coercion in Panama and Greenland, Trump said, "No, I can't assure you on either of those two. 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 he is sworn into office at the Jan. 20 inauguration in Washington.
Trump also vowed to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and repeated 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 previous vow to revert the name of Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, to Mount McKinley. Former President Barack Obama changed the name of the Alaskan mountain in deference to Native Americans.
Typically, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names sets geographic names, though presidents have also renamed geographic features via executive action.
The press conference, Trump's second since he won the Nov. 5 election, took place one day after Congress formally certified his victory.
