‘Hell will break loose’: Trump hints at military move in Mideast, Americas | Donald Trump News

The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, revealed the possibility of military intervention in the Americas and the Middle East, as well as other parts of his foreign policy agenda, during a wide-ranging news conference in Florida.

Trump spoke at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Tuesday, a day after Congress formally certified his victory in the November general election. The news conference also comes 13 days before Trump is sworn in for his second term on January 20.

The president-elect touched on several domestic lessons, promising to roll back environmental restrictions and pardon supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

But his most important statements concern foreign policy. Trump described the growing idea of ​​expansion, which has consequences for countries around the world.

He reiterated his desire for US control of the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada, while insisting that “all hell will break loose” if the hostages held in Gaza are not released before he takes office.

In one exchange with reporters, Trump was asked whether he would rule out the use of military force or economic pressure to take control of the Panama Canal or Greenland, a sovereign territory of Denmark. He refused.

“I’m not going to commit to that,” Trump said. He then insisted on a canal, a trade route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. “You may have to do something. The Panama Canal is important to our country.”

He later added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes.”

Both the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark have dismissed hopes that the Arctic island will be handed over to American control.

And the Panamanian government has also maintained that the canal will remain Panamanian, as has been the case since the US relinquished control in 1999, following an agreement negotiated under the late US President Jimmy Carter.

Eyes on Canada

Trump has also made bold statements about his intentions with Canada, one of the US’s largest trading partners.

The country shares an 8,891-kilometer (5,525-mile) border with the US, and Trump in recent weeks has suggested it should become the US’s 51st state.

But at a press conference on Tuesday, he ruled out using the military against Canada, which has long been close to him – although not an “economic power”.

“You remove the hypocritically drawn line, and look at what it looks like, and it would be much better for national security,” Trump said, referring to the US-Canada border.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly responded to this prospect on social media.

“There is not a chance in hell that Canada will ever become part of the United States,” Trudeau wrote.

Trump, on the other hand, renewed his promise to impose “massive tariffs” on Mexico and Canada if they do not give in to demands to curb illegal immigration and drug trafficking in the US.

Trump has previously threatened to slap 25 percent tariffs on both countries, despite warnings from economists that trade wars could disrupt North America’s closely-linked industries.

In another reference to changing the regional map, Trump said the Gulf of Mexico should be called the “Gulf of America”. “It has a nice ring to it”, he laughed.

‘Hell will come’

Trump spent a long time discussing Israel’s war on Gaza, a war that has claimed the lives of more than 45,885 Palestinians and raised fears of human rights abuses.

The president-elect called his Middle East envoy nominee, Steve Witkoff, to the podium to provide an update on the negotiations.

Witkoff, a real estate investor with no experience in foreign policy, has been part of recent talks to end the conflict in the Middle East.

In seemingly unexpected remarks, Witkoff said, “I think we’ve made some really great progress, and I’m very hopeful that with the inauguration we’ll have some great things to announce on behalf of the president.”

But the president-elect took a hard line, focusing on the release of those who remained imprisoned by Hamas after the attack on October 8, 2023, in southern Israel. Israel estimates that around 100 people remain in Hamas custody.

Trump has vowed that “all hell will break loose” in the Middle East if Hamas does not release hostages when he takes office.

Some observers interpreted Trump’s statement as a threat that US troops might intervene in Gaza, a line that outgoing President Joe Biden has refused to cross, despite military aid to Israel.

When asked to explain what he meant at the news conference, Trump replied: “Do I have to explain it to you? Everything will break out if those who were kidnapped do not return.”

“If they’re not back by the time I take office, all hell will break loose in the Middle East, and it won’t be good for Hamas, and it won’t be good, frankly, for anybody. All hell will break loose. I don’t want to say it anymore, but that’s it,” he said.

Syria policy

Trump gave an ambiguous answer when asked about the future of US troops in Syria. The Pentagon says about 2,000 American personnel remain in the country as part of the campaign to stop the armed group ISIL (ISIS).

But questions have been raised about long-term US involvement in Syria after former President Bashar al-Assad was elected to office in early December.

The US military has supported the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria since 2014, as part of the country’s multi-pronged civil war.

But that’s support Washington opposes its NATO partner Turkiye, which considers members of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) – the bulk of SDF fighters – as “terrorists”.

Turkiye, in contrast, has supported the rebel groups that eventually overthrew al-Assad.

During his first term, Trump floated the possibility of withdrawing US troops from Syria. And as recently as December, he wrote on his Public Truth platform that the US should have “nothing to do” with Syria.

But at Tuesday’s news conference, he chose to be vague about the future of US involvement in Syria.

“I will not tell you that, because that is part of the military strategy,” he said.

Instead, he praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he called a “friend” and a “very smart guy”.

“He sent his people there [Syria] in different ways and in different words, and they come in, they take it, and that’s it,” Trump said.

Some analysts have speculated that Trump may be more free than previous US presidents to change operations against ISIL in Turkey.

NATO is paying more

Trump also criticized other NATO allies, saying that the 32 members of the transatlantic alliance must increase their defense spending to 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP).

That is a significant increase from the current minimum target of two percent.

Trump regularly accuses coalition members of underpaying and has suggested withdrawing if spending doesn’t increase.

“They can all afford it, but they should be 5 percent, not 2 percent,” Trump said.

“If they pay their debts, and if I think they treat us well, the answer is I will stay with NATO,” he added. But he warned that he might withdraw his support if he felt the US was being treated fairly.

In another anecdote, he compared NATO allies to defaulting debtors: “If you are a traitor, we will not protect you.”

The threat comes as NATO has grown in importance amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

Trump has long maintained that a Russian attack would not happen on his watch. On Tuesday, he again promised to make a quick decision.