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'We Are Not for Sale': Greenland Once Again Rebuffs Trump Call for US Ownership
"A whole lot of gullible people were telling me he was the anti-war, anti-imperial candidate," one observer said of Trump.
Dec 23, 2024
"Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom."
That was the message from leftist Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede on Monday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump once again called for American ownership of the autonomous Danish territory—the latest in a string of what critics have called imperialistic statements by the Republican leader.
"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Sunday in a post announcing his nomination of PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as ambassador to Denmark.
During his first term, Trump directed his aides to examine whether the United States could purchase Greenland, which is home to the U.S. Space Force's Pituffik Space Base. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who is still in office, dismissed the idea as "absurd," prompting Trump to cancel a planned state visit to the Nordic nation.
Aaja Chemnitz, a member of Egede's democratic socialist Inuit Ataqatigiit (Community of the People) party representing Greenland in the Danish Parliament, toldRitzau that it is "very disrespectful" of Trump to treat Greenland as something that could be bought.
"I think the words 'ownership' and 'control' from a future president of the United States, which controls the entire Western world's foreign and security policy, is a reasonably clear signal that the intention is to buy Greenland," she said.
Chemnitz also took aim at "disrespectful" Danish politicians who "say that it's only a decision for Denmark."
"This would be a decision for Greenland and the people of Greenland," she said. "We have extended autonomy in Greenland. And as far as I know, no political party in Greenland wishes to become American citizens."
Greenlanders have a complicated relationship with the United States. While a majority of people polled in a 2021 survey wanted closer relations with the U.S., many remain wary over incidents including the 1968 "broken arrow" loss of four thermonuclear warheads when a B-52 bomber crashed into the sea ice of Wolstenholme Fjord. The accident caused widespread radioactive contamination and the nuclear fuel components of one of the bombs remain unrecovered to this day.
Trump's latest remarks on Greenland came on the same day he threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal and after he suggested making Canada the "51st state." Trump and senior members of his transition team are also reportedly mulling the question, "How much should we invade Mexico?"
The U.S. seized half of Mexico's territory after invading the country under false pretenses in 1846, one of at least 10 invasions of the southern neighbor. More recently, U.S. forces invaded Panama in 1989 after turning on erstwhile ally Gen. Manuel Noriega over his involvement in narco-trafficking. At least hundreds and as many as 2,000-3,000 Panamanian civilians and 23 U.S. troops were killed.
In the last week Trump has referred to Canada as the 51st state and its Prime Minister as "Governor," has discussed a "soft invasion" into Mexico, and is now discussing taking over Panama. These are the rantings of an aspiring autocrat & should be taken seriously—because he isn't joking.
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@qasimrashid.com) December 22, 2024 at 4:23 PM
Right-wing Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded to Trump's threat on social media Sunday, saying, "Every square meter of the Panama Canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue to."
To which Trump replied, "We'll see about that!"
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Calls for Trudeau to Resign as Exiting Canadian Finance Minister Warns of Trump Tariffs
"He has to go. Right now, Canadians are struggling with the cost of living," said the New Democratic Party leader. "And instead of focusing on these issues, Justin Trudeau and the Liberals focused on themselves."
Dec 16, 2024
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quietly defied mounting calls for his resignation on Monday, asking Dominic LeBlanc to serve as finance minister after Chrystia Freeland resigned from the post with a scathing letter that sounded the alarm about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose economically devastating tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
Ahead of a Liberal caucus meeting, some members of Trudeau's own party joined Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre, and New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Jagmeet Singh in urging him to step aside. Federal elections must be held by October but some want them called immediately.
"Today, I'm calling on Justin Trudeau to resign. He has to go," said Singh. "Right now, Canadians are struggling with the cost of living. I hear it everywhere I go. People cannot find a home that they can afford. They can't buy their groceries. And on top of that, we have Trump threatening tariffs at 25%, which put hundreds [of] thousands of Canadian jobs at risk."
"And instead of focusing on these issues, Justin Trudeau and the Liberals focused on themselves," he continued. "They're fighting themselves instead of fighting for Canadians. For that reason, today, I'm calling on Justin Trudeau to resign. He has to go."
Yet, Trudeau seemed determined to stay, addressing his caucus meeting—where the press could see him through windows for some time—but not the public, after appearing at LeBlanc's swearing-in ceremony. LeBlanc, a longtime Liberal member of Parliament who will retain his role as minister of intergovernmental affairs, calmly took questions from reporters after being sworn in.
LeBlanc identified cost-of-living concerns as his No. 1 focus as finance minister, described Trump and Trudeau's recent meeting at Mar-a-Lago as a conversation between "two leaders focused on a number of priorities" including border security, and called Freeland a friend and "somebody that I admire as a colleague."
On the day that Freeland was set to deliver the delayed Fall Economic Statement to Parliament, she wrote in a resignation letter that after a Friday meeting in which Trudeau told her that he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister, "the only honest and viable path for me is to resign from the Cabinet."
The Associated Pressreported that "a Liberal party official said Freeland was offered a position as minister in charge of Canada-U.S. relations without portfolio and without a department. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said the position would have been in name only and wouldn't have come with any of the tools Freeland previously had when she negotiated trade with the United States."
At least one member of Parliament was among those framing the development as Trudeau forcing Freeland, who also served as deputy prime minister, out of the Cabinet. According toCBC:
When asked about the timing of Freeland's resignation, NDP MP Charlie Angus didn't mince words.
"What the f--k? How does a prime minister, on the eve of a statement that we've been waiting for for months, deep-six his finance minister and think that things are going to be normal?" Angus said.
"We've got a prime minister missing in action and now his deputy prime minister, his finance minister has jumped ship. The prime minister needs to show up and explain how this gong show is allowed to happen."
As The Guardianpointed out, "Freeland and Trudeau have reportedly disagreed over proposals for temporary tax breaks and other spending measures, which were meant to shore up political support, but risked forcing Freeland to miss her spending goals."
In Freeland's resignation letter to Trudeau—which she also shared on social media—she acknowledged that "for the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada."
The former finance minister wrote that "our country today faces a grave challenge. The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25% tariffs."
"We need to take that threat extremely seriously," she continued. "That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war. That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment."
"That means pushing back against 'America First' economic nationalism with a determined effort to fight for capital and investment and the jobs they bring," she added. "That means working in good faith and humility with the premiers of the provinces and territories of our great and diverse country, and building a true Team Canada response."
Although Freeland is leaving the Cabinet, she made clear that she is not resigning as a Liberal member of Parliament and attended the caucus meeting. She also wrote that "I am committed to running again for my seat in Toronto in the next federal election."
Despite Freeland's exit from the Cabinet, the Fall Economic Statement was delivered to Parliament on Monday. Reutersreported that "Canada's fiscal deficit for the year ended March came in at C$61.9 billion ($43.45 billion), more than half of what was projected last year, missing one of the three key fiscal objectives... Freeland had set to achieve."
Much of the extra spending is due to one-time expenses—C$4.7 billion ($3.3 billion) related to the Covid-19 pandemic and C$16.4 billion ($11.52 billion) for Indigenous payouts—Reuters noted, but even without that, the deficit would have been around C$40.8 billion, ($28.66 billion), higher than the previously forecast C$40 billion ($28.1 billion).
In an apparent nod to Trump's demands, the fiscal update said that "the government is committed to Securing Our Borders and combating criminal networks that seek to move illicit goods, drugs, and people across our shared border with the United States."
The statement did not say anything about the proposed C$250 ($175.63) "Working Canadians Rebate," which was expected to provide relief to nearly 19 million people and cost an estimated C$4.68 billion ($3.29 billion).
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Mexico's Leftist President Rips Trump Tariff Threat
"If even a small percentage of what the United States allocates to war were instead dedicated to building peace and fostering development, it would address the underlying causes of human mobility," wrote Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Nov 26, 2024
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday sharply criticized U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's threat to impose a 25% tariff on all imported goods from Canada and Mexico, calling the proposal a potentially disastrous distraction from meaningful solutions to drug trafficking and mass migration.
"Migration and drug consumption in the United States cannot be addressed through threats or tariffs," Sheinbaum, a member of Mexico's leftist Morena party, wrote in a letter to Trump. "What is needed is cooperation and mutual understanding to tackle these significant challenges."
Sheinbaum warned that if Trump follows through with his threat, "there will be a response in kind, until we put at risk our shared enterprises," echoing economists' concerns that such sweeping tariffs could result in higher prices for consumers, job losses, and a damaging trade war. Companies in the U.S. are already signaling that they would use tariffs on imports as a justification to raise consumer prices.
"Among Mexico's main exporters to the United States are General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford Motor Company, which arrived in Mexico 80 years ago," Sheinbaum wrote. "Why impose a tariff that would jeopardize them? Such a measure would be unacceptable and would lead to inflation and job losses in both the United States and Mexico."
"Tragically, it is in our country that lives are lost to the violence resulting from meeting the drug demand in yours."
Sheinbaum's letter to Trump was made public hours after the U.S. president-elect took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to fearmonger about a supposedly "unstoppable" migrant "caravan coming from Mexico."
Trump pledged to "sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States" and said such tariffs would remain in place until Mexico and Canada—the nation's largest trading partners—halt the flow of migrants and drugs, particularly fentanyl, into the U.S.
"Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem," Trump wrote. "We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!"
In her response, Sheinbaum wrote that Trump "may not be aware" that Mexico "has developed a comprehensive policy to assist migrants from different parts of the world who cross our territory en route to the southern border of the United States." Sheinbaum noted that the policy helped produce a major decline in migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border over the past year.
"For these reasons, migrant caravans no longer arrive at the border," the Mexican president wrote. "Even so, it is clear that we must work together to create a new labor mobility model that is necessary for your country, as well as address the root causes that compel families to leave their homes out of necessity."
"If even a small percentage of what the United States allocates to war were instead dedicated to building peace and fostering development, it would address the underlying causes of human mobility," she added.
Sheinbaum went on to write that Mexico has "consistently expressed its willingness" to help stop fentanyl and weapons from entering the United States through its southern border.
"You must also be aware of the illegal trafficking of firearms into my country from the United States," she wrote. "Seventy percent of the illegal weapons seized from criminals in Mexico come from your country. We do not produce these weapons, nor do we consume synthetic drugs. Tragically, it is in our country that lives are lost to the violence resulting from meeting the drug demand in yours."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a far more vague response to Trump's tariff threat, telling reporters that he had a "good conversation" with the U.S. president-elect following his Truth Social post.
"This is a relationship that we know takes a certain amount of working on, and that's what we'll do," Trudeau said.
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