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Donald Trump has escalated rhetoric about U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere, renewing calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland and threatening military action against Colombia.
The confident statements came on Sunday after the United States launched military action in Venezuela and were accompanied by top diplomat Marco Rubio, who declared that Cuba’s communist government was “in a lot of trouble.”
Remarks by Trump and Secretary of State Rubio following the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro underscored the administration’s intention to play a broader role across the region.
Trump’s thinly veiled threats have unsettled allies and adversaries across the Western Hemisphere, raising a pointed question around the world: Who’s next?
“It’s very strategic right now. Greenland is full of Russian and Chinese ships,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida.
“From a national security perspective, we need Greenland, but Denmark can’t do that.”
Asked in an interview with The Atlantic earlier Sunday what U.S. military action in Venezuela would mean for Greenland, Trump responded: “They’re going to have to see for themselves. I really don’t know.”
trump in his administration national security strategy The article published last month identified restoring “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere” as a central roadmap for his second bid for the White House.
Trump also pointed out The Monroe Doctrine of the 19th Centuryits rejection of European colonialism, and Roosevelt Corollary — a rationale cited by the United States in supporting Panama’s secession from Colombia, which would help it secure the Panama Canal Zone — as he advocates a tougher approach toward U.S. neighbors and beyond.
Trump even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. president’s foundational document as the “Donro Doctrine.”
causing anxiety in Denmark
Late-night U.S. military operations in Caracas on Saturday and Trump’s comments on Sunday heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over mineral-rich Greenland.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen In a statement, Trump had “no authority to annex” the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already offers broad access to Greenland to the United States, a member of NATO, through existing security agreements.
“I therefore strongly urge the United States to cease threatening a historically close ally and another country and people that it has made clear it will not sell out,” Frederiksen said.
Denmark also signed an EU statement on Sunday stressing that “the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected” as Trump vowed to “manage” Venezuela and pressure the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, line up.
Social media posts anger Danes
Trump on Sunday mocked Denmark’s efforts to improve Greenland’s national security posture, saying the Danes had added “another dog sled” to the Arctic territory’s arsenal.
Greenlanders and Danes were further angered by a social media post following the raid by former Trump administration official and current podcaster Katie Miller. The post showed an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes, with the caption: “Soon.”
“Yes, we want the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark to be fully respected,” the ambassador said. Jesper Müller Sørensen, Denmark’s chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, the wife of Trump’s influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
period his presidential transition In the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland and pointedly stated Do not rule out the use of military force Take control of mineral-rich and strategically located Arctic islands belonging to your allies.
In recent months, the issue has largely fallen out of the headlines. Less than two weeks ago, Trump said he would appoint Republicans, bringing renewed attention to Greenland. Governor Jeff Landry Serve as his Greenland envoy.
Louisiana governor says he’ll help Trump ‘make Greenland part of America’ in his volunteer role
A stern warning to Cuba
Meanwhile, concerns are brewing in Cuba, one of Venezuela’s most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio unveils new policies. Stern warning to the Cuban government. Relations between the United States and Cuba have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban Revolution.
Rubio told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela before his arrest.
“It’s the Cubans who are guarding Maduro,” Rubio said. “He doesn’t have Venezuelan bodyguards guarding him. He has Cuban bodyguards.” The secretary added that the Cuban bodyguards are also responsible for “internal intelligence” of the Maduro government, including “who is monitoring who internally to make sure there are no traitors.”
The Cuban government said in a statement read on state television on Sunday evening: 32 officers killed in U.S. military operations.
Trump said the Cuban economy, which has been hit by the U.S. embargo for years, is in tatters and will decline further as Maduro steps down. Maduro has supplied the Caribbean island with subsidized oil.
“It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “The counts are going down.”
Warning to Colombia
Trump returned to Washington on Sunday nighthas also attracted the attention of Venezuela’s neighbor Colombia and its leftist president Gustavo Petro.
In repeated conversations with reporters, Trump said Colombia “is run by a sick man who likes to make cocaine and sell it to the United States.”
The Trump administration imposed sanctions in October oil companyhis family and members of his government have been charged for their alleged involvement in the global drug trade. Colombia is considered the center of the world’s cocaine trade.
Trump began a months-long pressure campaign against Maduro by ordering dozens of deadly attacks on suspected drug-smuggling vessels sailing from Venezuela in the Caribbean. He eventually expanded his operations to include suspicious ships from Colombia in the eastern Pacific.
The United States also added Colombia to its list of aid recipients in September. Colombia is the largest recipient of U.S. aid in the region. Failure to cooperate in the war on drugs This is the first time in nearly 30 years. The designation led to significant cuts in U.S. aid to the country.
“He’s not going to do this for long,” Trump said of oil companies on Sunday. “He’s got a cocaine factory and a cocaine factory. He’s not going to do that.”
Asked whether he would order U.S. action against Colombia, Trump responded: “That sounds good to me.”