Donald Trump‘s attempts to bring Greenland, the Panama Canal and even Canada under American rule are part of his plans for a new US empire, experts say.

The president-elect has stated his intentions for aggressive foreign policy upon returning to the White House which include tariffs on both Canadaand Mexico.

Those aren’t his only plans for our neighbors to the north, as Trump has repeatedly made posts on social media suggesting Canada become America’s ’51st state.’

He’s also reignited his desire for the United States to purchase Greenland and even take back control of the Panama Canal once in office.

‘World leaders are flocking to the table because President Trump is already delivering on his promise to Make America Strong Again. When he officially takes office, foreign nations will think twice before ripping off our country, America will be respected again, and the whole world will be safer,’ Trump spokesperson Anna Kelly told Newsweek in a statement.

Professor Sean Adams, an expert on American history at the University of Florida, said that Trump’s plans harken back to the ideas of Democrats from 200 years ago, especially Andrew Jackson, a known favorite president of Trump.

‘The plan to acquire Greenland does offer a bit of a throwback to the 19th century when many American politicians – particularly Democrats – were quite aggressive about territorial expansion,’ he said.

He adds that this policy was known as ‘spread-eagleism’ and an ideology meant to expanding the US style of governance across the world, as the US bought parts of Mexico, Alaska and attempted to annex now known as the Dominican Republic, in addition to Greenland and Iceland.

‘The idea was [that] the Republican government was America’s gift to the world, and it needed to be extended as much as possible. The economic opportunities that came along with expansion was a nice bonus as well.’

Donald Trump ‘s attempts to bring Greenland, the Panama Canal and even Canada under American rule are part of his plans for a new US empire, experts say

The president-elect has stated his intentions for aggressive foreign policy upon returning to the White House which include tariffs on both Canada and Mexico, as well as Trump repeatedly posting on social media suggesting Canada become America’s ’51st state.’

Adams calls the Jackson-inspired imperialism ‘a dramatic departure’ from the current establishment.

Daniel Immerwahr, a professor at Northwestern and an expert in American imperialism, says that while Trump’s plans are a break from the current mold, it may not resemble colonialism of the past.

‘It would not be a stretch to see the United States’s hundreds of military bases outside of its borders as a type of empire…But Trump is clearly more comfortable with an older form of power projection that harks back to the bloody days of Teddy Roosevelt,’ he said.

In late November, Trump announced plans to slap a 25 percent tariff on Mexican and Canadian goods as long as the countries allowed immigrants to flow over the U.S. border.

He also said he’d impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods over the Chinese government’s refusal to make good on a promise to use the death penalty on drug dealers.

These actions, Trump said, would take place on the first day of his administration.

He said the Mexican and Canadian tariffs would apply to  ‘ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders.’

‘This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!’

Trump has also reignited his desire for the United States to purchase Greenland

He’s even suggesting the US take back control to purchase the Panama Canal once in office

The president-elect also suggested that Mexicoand Canada had ‘the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem’ – indicating he wanted the neighbors to do more to patrol their borders so migrants couldn’t sneak into the United States.

The president-elect has in recent days suggested a territorial expansion into Canada, Greenland and Panama, and has mocked prime minister Justin Trudeau by calling him ‘governor.’

On Christmas, Trump escalated his campaigns against the governments of both Panama and Canada.

‘Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal (where we lost 38,000 people in its building 110 years ago), always making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in “repair” money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about “anything,”‘ Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.

‘Also, to Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada, whose Citizens’ Taxes are far too high, but if Canada was to become our 51st State, their Taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other Country anywhere in the World.

‘Likewise, to the people of Greenland, which is needed by the United States for National Security purposes and, who want the U.S. to be there, and we will!’

Trump recently posted that ‘Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State’ and offered an image of himself superimposed on a mountaintop surveying surrounding territory next to a Canadian flag.

Trudeau has suggested that Trump was joking about annexing his country, but the pair met recently at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida to discuss Trump’s tariff threats.

Trump expressed interest in buying Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, during his first presidential term.

On Christmas , Trump escalated his campaigns against the governments of both Panama and Canada

How Donald Trump plans to build a new American empire

Trump recently posted that ‘Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State’ and offered an image of himself superimposed on a mountaintop surveying surrounding territory next to a Canadian flag

He was publicly rebuffed by Danish authorities – who reiterated the island was ‘open for business, not for sale’ – before any conversations could take place.

The Danish Prime Minister’s Office said in its own statement that the government is ‘looking forward to welcoming the new American ambassador. And the Government is looking forward to working with the new administration.’

‘In a complex security political situation as the one we currently experience, transatlantic cooperation is crucial,’ the statement said. It noted that it had no comment on Greenland except for it “not being for sale, but open for cooperation.’

Trump again having designs on Greenland comes after the president-elect suggested over the weekend that the US could retake control of the Panama Canal if something isn’t done to ease rising shipping costs required for using the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino responded in a video that ‘every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to,’ but Trump fired back on his social media site, ‘We’ll see about that!’

Read more

He said the governor “is doing a fantastic job. I am glad that Enugu got a very good job tomorrow, today. I salute Peter Mbah for his commitment to development.

“You have built up a good team and I have reviewed a number of things with you in Abuja. You have encouraged me on the technological advancement of the state. The commitment you have from the private sector. I know your background.”

While waving politics aside, President Tinubu stressed that “the election is over and we have to move the nation forward. You have demonstrated that irrevocable commitment towards human development.

“I don’t care which party you come from. You are my friend. You are doing well and very focused. We must build this house called Nigeria to not just satisfy our immediate need, but our tomorrow too.

“That’s why the removal of the fuel subsidy was necessary. We can not spend the future of generation yet unborn in advance. Don’t bankrupt the nation before they’re born.”

“I am very proud of Nigeria. Mbah is proud of Nigeria. He is doing everything possible to provide security, attracting foreign investors, and other investors locally.

“There’s no better investment than the investment to secure lives. I saw those cars, the Distress Response Squad. It is the way to go.

“Please, continue to cooperate and collaborate with your son, brother and friend here, Mbah, who is really committed to push the development of Enugu State and be a good symbol of south eastern states,” he told the stakeholders.

Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere and Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), have backed former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, over his response to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) following the invitation to tour the Port Harcourt Refinery and verify its current operational status.

The invitation comes in response to Obasanjo’s recent interview with Channels Television, where he referenced advice from Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) indicating that the refinery might not function efficiently. SPDC, which was approached for equity participation in the refinery, reportedly raised concerns about corruption affecting its operations.

The former president also accused NNPCL of allegedly misleading Nigerians about the refinery’s performance.

Reacting, the Secretary-General of the Afenifere, Sola Ebiseni, faulted the NNPCL for inviting Obasanjo through newspaper publications after he rightly commented on the management deficiencies that had grounded Nigeria’s refineries for years.

Ebieni described the invitation as sheer arrogance and urged NNPCL to avoid resorting to disrespectful politics.

He said, “What former President Obasanjo said was quite illuminating about the way the affairs of the country have been or are being handled. He has been out of office since 2007, and until now, what we have seen is the epileptic performance of the refineries. So, it is sheer arrogance and disrespect for the NNPCL to claim they invited him to come and see.

“If you want to invite a statesman and former president like Obasanjo, no matter how you feel about the statement he made, you shouldn’t resort to disrespectful politics. If you believe that what he said does not reflect the current state of the plants, you should pay him a courtesy visit to present your views about the situation. But to go on the pages of newspapers to paint a picture of a liar—which is what the NNPCL’s action implies—leaves much to be desired.”

Also speaking to Punch, the National Secretary of the CUPP, Peter Ameh, said inviting Obasanjo through newspapers amounted to public ridicule and utter disrespect for his history, reputation, and record in the country.

Ameh claimed that NNPCL usually prioritises politics over issues affecting the lives of Nigerians.

He said, “You cannot invite Obasanjo on the pages of newspapers. Even the GMD cannot invite another company head in such a manner, not to mention someone who has served both as a General in the Nigerian Army and as a military Head of State, as well as a two-term democratically elected president of the country. The NNPCL must learn how to do things the right way and avoid politicising everything, as this is why our economy has nosedived.

“That is simply the NNPCL’s usual way of prioritising politics over issues that affect the lives of ordinary Nigerians. If Obasanjo says the refineries are not working after we have wasted about $2 billion on them, he is merely stating that we should have handed the plants over to private individuals to get them working optimally through private partnerships.”