President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday he plans to order “very serious tariffs” against Canada and Mexico — and vowed to rechristen the Gulf of Mexico as the “beautiful” Gulf of America.
Trump, 78, made the comments at a wide-ranging news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., as he prepares to return to the White House on Jan. 20.
“We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America. What a beautiful name and it’s appropriate,” Trump declared.
“Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country. They can stop them, and we’re going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada, because Canada, they come through Canada too, and the drugs that are coming through are at record numbers.”
Trump threatened 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico shortly after winning the Nov. 5 election, citing illegal immigration and illicit fentanyl imports.
Some observers speculated that he was making the threat as a bargaining tactic, and the leaders of both countries quickly pledged to work with the incoming commander in chief.
Trump also has jokingly suggested that Canada become the 51st state, while more seriously pressing for the US to acquire Greenland from Denmark and suggesting the US may need to reassert control of the Panama Canal Zone — topics he also revisited in his remarks.
“Canada is subsidized to the tune of about $200 billion a year, plus other things. They don’t essentially have a military. They have a very small military. They rely on our military. It’s all fine, but they got to pay for that,” Trump said Tuesday.
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“I have so many great friends. One of them is The Great One, [hockey player] Wayne Gretzky. I said, ‘Run for prime minister. You’ll win. It’ll take two seconds,’” the 45th president and 47th president-elect recounted.
“But he said, ‘Well, am I going to run for prime minister or governor?’”
One of Trump’s top allies in Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), quickly tweeted her approval of the Gulf of Mexico name change.
“I’ll be introducing legislation ASAP to officially change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to its rightful name, the Gulf of America!” she wrote on X.
Retiring President Biden, meanwhile, tweeted his apparent disapproval of Trump’s commentary on Canada in a message praising outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced Monday that he would resign after more than nine years in power.
“The last time I visited Ottawa, I said that the United States chooses to link our future with Canada because we know that we’ll find no better ally, no closer partner, and no steadier friend. The same can be said of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,” Biden tweeted moments after Trump’s remarks.
“The U.S.[sic] -Canada alliance is stronger because of him. The American and Canadian people are safer because of him. And the world is better off because of him.”
The president-elect spoke as his son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland as part of his attempt to woo the island’s 56,000 residents to support a break with Denmark and join the United States.
Greenland has been part of Denmark since 1814, but has received greater autonomy in recent decades. In 2009, the island was granted self-rule, though its residents remain full citizens of the European nation.
“People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up, because we need it for national security,” Trump said at the press conference.
“That’s for the free world. I’m talking about protecting the free world. You look at — you don’t even need binoculars. You look outside. You have China [sending] ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We’re not letting that happen… The people are going to probably vote for independence or to come into the United States.”
Trump threatened to “tariff Denmark at a very high level” if Copenhagen intervened, as the Danish government has repeatedly said the island is not for sale.
He also railed against alleged Chinese influence in the Panama Canal, claiming “China’s running the Panama Canal.”
At one point, Trump declined to rule out using military or economic force to acquire Greenland and the US-built Panama Canal, though he also clarified it would be “economic force” to acquire Canada.
“Canada and the United States, that would really be something,” Trump mused. “You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security.”
