Politics
How Donald Trump plans to build a new American empire
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.
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!’
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President Joe Biden has banned all future offshore oil and gas drilling in a last-ditch effort to stop Donald Trump from keeping his promise to expand offshoring drilling.
It’s a blatant move to try and sabotage the incoming Trump administration as the MAGA die hard has pledged to reverse Biden’s climate change policies when he takes office in 14 days.
Trump campaigned on a ‘drill baby, drill’ slogan and has pledged to throw out all of Biden’s green energy policies on Day One.
In an effort to get ahead of Trump, Biden declared he is using his authority under the 70-year-old Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to block all future oil and natural gas leasing in most U.S. coastal waters.
The ban would stop offshoring drilling in all federal waters off the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of the northern Bering Sea in Alaska.
Biden’s order will not affect large swaths of the Gulf of Mexico, where most U.S. offshore drilling occurs, but it would protect coastlines along California, Florida and other states from future drilling.
The action – which protect more than 625 million acres of federal waters – could be difficult for Trump to unwind, since it will likely require an act of Congress to repeal.
Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt mocked Biden’s move writing on X: ‘Joe Biden clearly wants high gas prices to be his legacy.’
She went on to slam the ‘a disgraceful decision designed to exact political revenge on the American people who gave President Trump a mandate to increase drilling and lower gas prices.’
Joe Biden, pictured on Sunday, has moved to ban new offshore oil and gas drilling in most US coastal waters in a last-minute effort to
President-elect Donald Trump, pictured in October last year, has vowed to establish what he calls American ‘energy dominance’ around the world as he seeks to boost US oil and gas drilling and move away from Biden’s focus on climate change
Trump’s spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt mocked Biden’s move writing on X: ‘ Joe Biden clearly wants high gas prices to be his legacy’
‘Rest assured, Joe Biden will fail, and we will drill, baby, drill.’
During his term, Biden limited new oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters, drawing criticism from drilling states and companies.
But Trump has vowed to establish what he calls American ‘energy dominance’ around the world as he seeks to boost oil and gas drilling and move away from Biden’s focus on climate change.
Biden said the move was aligned with both his climate change agenda and his goal to conserve 30 per cent of American lands and waters by 2030.
He also invoked the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the low drilling potential of the areas included in the ban did not justify the public health and economic risks of future leasing.
‘My decision reflects what coastal communities, businesses and beachgoers have known for a long time: that drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs,’ Biden said in a statement.
‘As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren,’ he added.
But the Lands Act, which allows presidents to withdraw areas from mineral leasing and drilling, does not grant them the legal authority to overturn prior bans, according to a 2019 court ruling.
That order came in response to Trump’s effort to reverse Arctic and Atlantic Ocean withdrawals made by former President Barack Obama at the end of his presidency.
Trump signed a memorandum in 2020 directing the Interior secretary to prohibit drilling in the waters off both Florida coasts, and off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina until 2032.
The action came after he initially moved to vastly expand offshore drilling, before retreating amid widespread opposition in Florida and other coastal states. Biden’s decision will protect the same area with no expiration.
In balancing multiple uses of America’s oceans, Biden said it was clear that the areas he is withdrawing from fossil fuel use show ‘relatively minimal potential’ that does not justify possible environmental, public health and economic risks that would come from new leasing and drilling.
Biden’s actions, which protect more than 625 million acres of federal waters, could be difficult for Trump to unwind, since they would likely require an act of Congress to repeal. Pictured is h a view of offshore oil and gas platform Esther in the Pacific Ocean on January 5, 2025 in Seal Beach, California
Environmental advocates are hailing Biden’s ban, saying new oil and gas drilling must be sharply curtailed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. 2024 was the hottest in recorded history.
‘This is an epic ocean victory!’ said Joseph Gordon, campaign director for the environmental group Oceana.
Gordon thanked Biden ‘for listening to the voices from coastal communities’ that oppose drilling and ‘contributing to the bipartisan tradition of protecting our coasts.’
He added: ‘Our treasured coastal communities are now safeguarded for future generations.’
But an oil and gas industry trade group said the decision would harm American energy security and should be reversed by Congress.
‘We urge policymakers to use every tool at their disposal to reverse this politically motivated decision and restore a pro-American energy approach to federal leasing,’ American Petroleum Institute President Mike Sommers said in a statement.
Biden has proposed up to three oil and gas lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico, but none in Alaska, as he tries to navigate between energy companies seeking greater oil and gas production and environmental activists who want him to shut down new offshore drilling in the fight against climate change.
A five-year drilling plan approved in 2023 includes proposed offshore sales in 2025, 2027 and 2029. The three lease sales are the minimum number the Democratic administration could legally offer if it wants to continue expanding offshore wind development.
Under the terms of a 2022 climate law, the government must offer at least 60 million acres of offshore oil and gas leases in any one-year period before it can offer offshore wind leases.
Biden, whose decision to approve the huge Willow oil project in Alaska drew strong condemnation from environmental groups, has previously limited offshore drilling in other areas of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean.
EXCLUSIVE: Bola Tinubu pays U.S. lobbyists $2.7 million to help burnish image destroyed by drug dealing, certificate forgery scandals.
“Even if nobody is held accountable elsewhere, in Oyo State, the rule of law will prevail.” – Governor Seyi Makinde on Ibadan stampede.
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