The U.S. president, 79, appears to be obsessed with the Arctic and its strategic importance.
Sources told NBC News that Trump believes Canada’s northern border is vulnerable and could be exploited by U.S. rivals like Russia or China. “They certainly need to up their game when it comes to Arctic capabilities,” one official said. “The status quo is not enough.”
On the heels of his Greenland push, President Trump has set his sights on Canada, criticizing what he views as insufficient defenses along the northern border.
His aides report that he has been urging expanded U.S. maritime patrols and additional icebreakers to monitor the Arctic waters near Canadian territory. As one official told NBC News, “Trump is really worried about the U.S. continuing to drift in the Western Hemisphere and is focused on this. At the end of the day, this is to stop Russia and China from having a further presence in the Arctic.”
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With its vast territory of 3.85 million square miles and a population of 40 million, Canada has become the latest focus of President Trump’s ambitions.
Sources say he sees the country as a major prize, following his high-profile attempt to take Greenland, the semi-autonomous Danish island. Officials told NBC News that Trump’s interest in Canada is part of a broader strategy to “solidify” U.S. influence across the Arctic and secure the Western Hemisphere from rivals like Russia and China.
Trump’s new takeover plans are worrying experts and allies. Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited China, the first Canadian leader to do so since 2017, to strengthen ties. He reiterated that Denmark’s NATO membership should be respected and insisted that Greenland should be able to decide its own future.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has tried to justify Trump’s ambitions.
Speaking on Fox News’ Hannity, Miller said Denmark had failed to defend Greenland. “With respect to Denmark, Denmark is a tiny country with a tiny economy, and a tiny military,” Miller said. “They cannot defend Greenland. They cannot control the territory… Under every understanding of law that has existed about territorial control for 500 years, to control a territory you have to be able to defend a territory. Denmark has failed on every single one of these tests.”
Trump has insisted it is “highly unlikely” he would use the military against Canada. But after the surprise operation in Venezuela on January 3, when U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro, nothing seems impossible. Officials say he has not ruled out sending troops to Greenland, Colombia, Mexico, or other places.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
