Trump is just days from taking office, and he has made it clear that one of his desires in his second term is to acquire both Greenland and the Panama Canal, which he says are vital to America’s national security.
When asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over the autonomous Danish territory or the Canal, he responded:
"No, I can't assure you on either of those two.”
Bob Maginnis is a Senior Fellow for National Security at the Family Research Council and author of "Preparing for World War III."
He says we lost thousands of workers building the Canal in the early 20th Century.
A South Dakota Republican has announced plans to introduce legislation that could help Trump reacquire the Canal for the U.S.
The bill would allow Trump, in coordination with the Secretary of State -- His nomination is Marco Rubio -- , to negotiate for the Canal with the Panamanian government.
Contract wording is key
"We bought it, we paid for it from the Colombians, and unfortunately Jimmy Carter gave it back to the locals, and now the Chinese, who have moved into Latin America in a big way. They control much of what happens in the Canal Zone. I think that's strategically stupid for us to turn a blind eye to it."
So Maginnis understands Trump's concerns.
"Now whether or not the stipulations in the agreement that gave up the canal to the control of the Panamanians allows us to renege on that and recapture it, that's a different proposition. So, there is a history there, if it's in our strategic interest, which the president is obligated to make those assessments. Then we should probably think about either getting them to kick the Chinese out or mitigate the risk to the US. "
