Greenland? Colombia? 6 countries where the “Don-roe Doctrine” could take Trump next

President Trump does not deny the possibility of further U.S. efforts at expansion, intervention, or annexation in the Western Hemisphere after the war. the success of the army in uprooting former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from Caracas this weekend for face drug trafficking charges in the United States.

In the past, he has threatened to annex Greenland and Canada and predicted the fall of the governments of Cuba and Colombia. Now, Mr. Trump is making similar comments again and raising new questions about what he plans to do next.

Mr. Trump said on Saturday that under his administration, “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never again be questioned” – calling his approach the “Don-roe doctrine”, a variation on the 19th century foreign policy concept.

It is unclear whether the president will follow through on his threats against other countries.

Here is the latest news on countries and territories that were the subject of interventionist comments from the president:

Greenland

Mr. Trump has long coveted Greenland and has said Greenland is necessary for U.S. national security, an argument he reiterated on Sunday.

“We need Greenland for a national security situation. It’s so strategic. Right now Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships everywhere,” he said. “We need Greenland, from a national security perspective.”

“Denmark won’t be able to do it, I can tell you that,” Mr. Trump continued. “To increase security in Greenland, they added an extra dog sled.”

The president also appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry Last month, he served as special envoy to Greenland to represent U.S. interests on the island, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. Landry said in a social media message to Mr. Trump: “It is an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland part of the United States. »

In March, Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland and told a reporter while he was there that “what we think is going to happen is that the Greenlanders are going to choose through self-determination to become independent from Denmark, and then we’re going to have conversations with the people of Greenland from there.”

The leaders of Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly stated that this huge Arctic island is not for sale and that they will decide their future themselves.

An article published Saturday by Katie Miller, the wife of senior White House adviser Stephen Miller, showed Greenland covered with an American flag accompanied by the comment “Soon,” leading some to wonder if its annexation was on the horizon.

Asked by CNN on Monday if he could rule out the United States attempting to take Greenland by force, Stephen Miller replied: “It’s not even necessary to think or talk about it in the context you’re posing: that of a military operation. No one will fight the United States militarily for the future of Greenland. »

Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One over the weekend that while nothing is imminent, “we will worry about Greenland in about two months. Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”

The Prime Minister of Greenland, Jens Frederik Nielsen reprimanded Mr. Trump in a social media post, calling annexation suggestions “fantasies” and writing, “Enough is enough now.”

Tuesday, the leaders of Europe issued a statement asserting that “Security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively, in collaboration with NATO allies, including the United States, respecting the principles of the United Nations Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders. These are universal principles, and we will never stop defending them. »

Iran

Intensification of protests on the desperate economic conditions in Iran has been unfolding for over a week, with reports that dozens of people were killed. In response, hours before the Venezuela operation began, Mr. Trump posted on social media that if Iran “violently kills peaceful protesters, as is their wont, the United States of America will come to their aid.” He said the United States is “locked and loaded.”

The president said Sunday of the protests in Iran: “We are watching them very closely. If they start killing people like they have done in the past, I think they will be hit very hard by the United States.”

In June, the United States led airstrikes against Iran’s main nuclear facilities, Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, with the aim of destroying its nuclear enrichment capacity.

Cuba

On his way back to Washington on Sunday, Mr. Trump told reporters, “Cuba looks like it’s going to fall,” adding that he didn’t know “if they were going to hold on.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks Saturday indicated that Cuban leaders should be concerned: “If I lived in Havana and I was in government, I would be at least a little worried.” A day later, on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” he said of Cuba: “They have a lot of problems.”

Although he did not detail any plans for Cuba or its leaders, Rubio said, “I don’t think it’s a mystery that we’re not big fans of the Cuban regime, which, by the way, is the one that supported Maduro.”

Rubio highlighted the close ties between Venezuela and Cuba, noting that Maduro had relied on Cuban bodyguards for protection and said they were in charge of the Venezuelan government’s “internal intelligence.” The Cuban government said 32 Cubans were killed in the military operation to capture Maduro.

For now, Mr. Trump seems happy to see how things are going on the island.

“I don’t think we need any action” in Cuba, he said, noting that Cuba “has no income now – they get all their income from Venezuela, from Venezuelan oil. They get nothing from it. And Cuba is literally ready to fall.”

Over the past year, Cuban oil imports from Venezuela fell 15 percent, to 27,400 barrels per day, according to Reuterswho also said that Cuba’s supply from Mexico, during the same period, from January to October, fell by 73%, to just 5,000 b/d.

Colombia

The president appears to have less patience with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, whom he accuses of illegal drug production and trafficking.

“Colombia is also very sick, run by a sick man who likes to make cocaine and sell it to the United States, and he’s not going to do that for very long, let me tell you,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Saturday. Asked if he was threatening a military operation in Colombia, the president replied: “That sounds good to me. You know what…they kill a lot of people.

The Trump administration has claimed that cocaine production increased during Petro’s presidency, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. sanctions announced on Petro in October because he “allowed drug cartels to thrive and refused to put an end to this activity.”

Petro accused the United States of violating international law with its attacks on suspected drug boats, which killed at least 115 people, and he suggested that some innocent civilians may have been killed in the strikes. The United States denies that innocent civilians were killed in these boat strikes.

Petro – who once belonged to a guerrilla group — warned Mr. Trump against any action in his country, write on that he “swore never to touch a weapon again”, but “for the sake of my country, I would take the weapons I do not want”.

Canada

While Mr. Trump has spoken in the past making Canada the “51st State” he hasn’t spoken about it since the operation in Venezuela.

But Mr. Trump imposed punitive tariffs against Canada, increasing them to 35% in August, although much of the goods are exempt because they are covered by the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

In October, Mr. Trump threatened to end trade negotiations with Canada after an anti-tariff ad using the voice of Ronald Reagan aired in Ontario. Ontario Premier Doug Ford pulled the ad, saying “our intention has always been to start a conversation about the type of economy Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses.”

Panama Canal

Mr. Trump argued earlier in his term that the United States should regain control of the strategic Panama Canal – drawing criticism from the United States. The government of Panama. United States supervised the construction of the canal in the early 20th century and controlled it for decades, but began returning the canal and surrounding land to Panama in 1979.

He claimed in March that he was “recovering the Panama Canal”, referring to a agreement by a US-led consortium to acquire a majority stake in the company that operates ports near the canal. The President of Panama accused Mr. Trump to “lie again”.

What is the Monroe Doctrine?

In 1823, America’s fifth president, James Monroe, outlined U.S. policy toward its neighbors in the Western Hemisphere before Congress. The initial goal was to stave off European colonialism, but the Monroe administration also wanted to increase U.S. influence and trade alliances.

During the Cold War, the United States invoked the Monroe Doctrine as a defense against the expansion of communism in Latin America.

The phrase “Don-roe Doctrine” first appeared on the cover of the New York Post last year.