President Trump levied a barrage of new threats against various countries, including Greenland, following his military operation in Venezuela.
Trump indicated the U.S. is returning to an 1823 policy of supremacy in the Western hemisphere - and he warned a number of countries the US could turn its attention to them. During his trip back to Washington on Sunday, Trump mentioned Cuba, Colombia and Greenland.
Referring to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Trump called him a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he’s not going to be doing it very long.”
When asked by NewsNation’s Libbey Dean whether the U.S. would embark on a military operation against Colombia, Trump replied “it sounds good to me.” He also issued a warning to Mexico about the cartels. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters the “The history of Latin America is clear and compelling: Intervention has never brought democracy,” noting Mexico’s sovereignty is sacred.
Targeting Cuba, Trump said Cuba is ready to fall and he didn’t know if they’re going to holdout, saying they get all their income from Venezuelan and they aren’t getting any ofit.
Trump also indicated his interest in annexing Greenland, saying he would talk about it in 20 days, leaving those leaders feeling it was a threat of intervention following the military action in Venezuela.
Denmark and the territory’s leadership have pushed back, with the Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsens calling the notion of a U.S. takeover of the territory a fantasy, warning the United States to stop its threats of annexation and put the control for the strategic, mineralrich Arctic island to come under U.S. control “No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation. We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law,” Nielsen said, noting that Greenland cannot be compared to Venezuela.
A social media post by podcaster and former Trump administration official Katie Miller further disturbed Greenlanders and Danes with the post showing an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption:”SOON.”
She is the wife of the current Trump chief of staff Stephen Miller who said it was “the formal position of the US government that Greenland should be part of the U.S.”
Trump has refused to rule out the use of force to take control of the territory, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that an attack by the US would spell the end of Nato.
In a joint statement, the leaders of six European allies including UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain, have rallied support for Denmark, saying, “Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations.”