This morning, Western media commented on the press conference of US President-elect Donald Trump, who stated that he does not rule out the use of military or economic coercion to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland. In addition, he demonstrated his intention to rename the Gulf of Mexico to "American Gulf", and a few days earlier suggested that Canada become part of the United States, BTA writes.
The American newspaper "Washington Post" writes that at the press conference, Trump once again demonstrated his tendency to strange commonalities between the topics he discusses, insults, false statements and hyperbole. According to the newspaper, he painted a gloomy picture of the current state of the country, calling the United States "a terrible place" and making numerous inaccurate claims about the policies of President Joe Biden's administration.
The publication notes that threats to the sovereignty of other countries contradict Trump's campaign promises to end wars, not start them. Yet since Trump's first term, his "America First" foreign policy has frequently deviated from diplomatic norms and has been characterized by his bold brand of nationalism, the Washington Post writes. Regarding his statement that he would rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "American Gulf" The newspaper specifies that there are mechanisms for renaming geographical features recognized by the federal government, but if such a change becomes official, this does not mean that other countries will recognize it.
Another American newspaper - "Wall Street Journal", writes that Trump's calls for the United States to take control of Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal reflect his fascination with an old idea that he wants to implement in the 21st century - that great powers should carve out spheres of influence and protect their economic and security interests by imposing their will on their smaller neighbors.
If Trump does even some of what he describes, any of which is extremely unlikely, it could mean major changes in America's global role, analysts tell the publication. They say Trump's claim that he would annex Canada is a bluff to get attention before trade talks with Ottawa.
"The Wall Street Journal" explains that anyone worried that Trump might actually do what he says might recall his promise during his first term to make Mexico pay for the wall he wanted to build along the southern border of the United States - an idea he stopped talking about as the difficulties of implementing it became clear and other issues took priority.
The "New York Times" writes that the press conference was full of déjà vu, recalling scenes from his first term as president - the conspiracy theories, the fabricated facts, the heated complaints, the vague references to "people" he never names, and the flat claim that American national security is now threatened, but without defining how the strategic environment has changed in a way that could prompt him to violate the sovereignty of independent states.
The British newspaper "Financial Times" notes that the Chinese currency has reached its lowest value in 16 months, as the potential for a sharp increase in tariffs by the incoming Trump administration fuels concerns about the growth prospects of the world's second-largest economy.
Another British newspaper - "The Guardian" writes that Trump's remarks were made during a pointless meeting with journalists and are likely to cause diplomatic alarm around the world.
His statements mark a dramatic escalation of rhetoric regarding the key Panama Canal, which the United States originally built in 1914 and operated for most of the 20th century, the publication believes, adding that the confrontational stance is an echo of the tensions that led to the US invasion of Panama in 1989.
At first glance, all this seems like political theater of the absurd, but Trump has a habit of turning the unthinkable into the conceivable and inevitable, writes "The Guardian".
The British publication "The Telegraph" notes that the accession of Greenland to the United States would represent the country's largest territorial expansion since the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803.