Donald Trump is making some big – and unusual – promises before taking office for the second time. Trump has said he will rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”. He has suggested that Canada should become the 51st state. He said he wants to buy Greenland. And he also wants the Panama Canal back. But recently, the media used a loaded question to make it sound like Trump isn’t ruling out a military invasion of the Panama Canal and Greenland. Glenn debunks the media’s lie and explains what he believes Trump is really doing: Is this imperialism? Or is it “The Art of the Deal”?
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: Okay. So let me -- let's start with Greenland. Shall we?
Green land, Panama, and Canada.
I -- I have to tell you, well, let's start with his -- Donald Trump's press conference yesterday.
They are always fun.
Cut one.
This is a green landman.
VOICE: So if you could tell Trump anything, what would it be?
VOICE: Buy green land.
VOICE: Why do you Trump to buy green land?
VOICE: We don't want to be colonized by the Danish colony anymore. We get taken our minerals, from Greenland. We are the richest nation in the world, and we don't get to use it. Denmark is using us too much.
VOICE: Do you like America?
VOICE: I love America.
GLENN: Right. Okay. So stop. So here's the thing. Greenland. They've got like 12 people. And Denmark owns it.
And they have no intention of giving it up.
But it's like Alaska. I mean, it is rich with rare earth minerals. As he said, it's the richest nation in the world. But Denmark won't let anything be explored. It is also a strategic place for bases, et cetera, et cetera.
It would -- there's been like four or five presidents that have tried to buy green land in the past. And it's never been done. I will get to why all of this makes sense here, in a second. And how you're supposed to read it.
Because he also went in, yesterday, about Canada and they asked him, would you rule -- would you rule out military strikes to take Alaska?
Here's his response.
VOICE: You're considering military force to acquire Panama and Greenland. Are you also considering military force to annex and acquire?
DONALD: No. Economic force. Because Canada and the United States, that would be really something. 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. Don't forget, we basically protect Canada.
GLENN: Okay. So he's just -- well, all he's doing is -- well, let me say -- let me give you the third one, and that is Panama.
Before we get to Panama, why not stop at the gulf of America? Cut three.
DONALD: Mexico is really in trouble. A lot of trouble. Very dangerous place. And we're going to be announcing a future date, pretty soon.
We're going to change. Because we do most of the work there, and it's ours. We will be changing. Sort of the opposite of Biden, where he's closing everything up, essentially getting rid of 50 trillion worth of assets.
We will be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, to the Gulf of America. Which has a beautiful ring. That covers --
STU: I love this guy.
DONALD: Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate. And it's appropriate. And 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.
GLENN: Okay.
Okay. So now the press is freaking out. This is an imperialist president. He's trying to create new Rome. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Are you -- do you have absolutely no brain cells that work in your head, anymore?
The final one is Panama. And I've told you this. In fact, I'm doing a prediction show tonight.
And I've been telling you the last few weeks. Panama is going to be a problem for the United States.
And there is going to be -- there is going to be some serious things happening in Panama this year. And I will get into that a little later.
But he's also talking about the Panama Canal. Okay. Why is that?
Because he wants to take over all these countries. And these places. He wants war everywhere?
No. No.
The one thing you have to understand about Donald Trump is he's a negotiator. He's merely negotiating.
That's all that's happening here. You speak softly and carry a very large stick.
Hey, Mexico. By the way, you're so irrelevant.
You know, you're going down the tubes. We're even thinking about changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. That's how irrelevant you are, okay?
And you've got some serious problems. It's a very dangerous place.
Well, there goes tourism, if the president keeps saying things like that. And we will have to put some tariffs on it. But, you know.
I just think the gulf of America is just a beautiful, beautiful name. All he's doing is signaling, you -- you're a speed bump to me.
I don't -- I don't need to do anything. I've just got these giant tariffs.
And we'll probably end up owning you, anyway, because you're a failing state. Okay?
He's negotiating. He's setting the table.
On Greenland, the same thing. He's just setting the table. He is saying to Greenland, you know, I think we should take it. Now, is he serious on that one. Yes, not take it, but buy it.
Is he serious?
Yes. And it would be -- I have to use a word that the New York Times has been talking about for a long time. They just used it in a different context.
It would be a huge coup, if Donald Trump could buy Greenland. It would be huge for America.
All the rare earth minerals, and everything else. All the riches of green land. And the strategic placement of Greenland would be a very, very smart move. Again, New York Times. Glenn Beck did say Donald Trump would pull off a coup. I mean it in a different context than you worry about.
That is smart! And if we could buy it, great!
If we could just negotiate to have some bases there and to be able to sell and buy some of their rare earth minerals, that would be very smart and strategic!
Now, Canada, okay. Canada is -- Canada. Being the 51st state. Okay.
Would it be great to have all of us combined?
Greenland. Canada. The United States, combined?
Yes. A 51st state? No. No.
Canada responded with, well, maybe we'll buy Alaska and Minnesota. All right. Let's open up those talks.
How much for Alaska? I'm willing to negotiate.
And I tell you what, negotiate for Alaska, I would give you Minnesota for a sandwich.
So I'm good. All he's doing there, is, again, throwing out a big idea. Negotiating, because you're not paying for your own defense.
We're paying for your defense.
What are we getting in -- in -- in return?
Well, right now, we're getting open borders from you, and Canada.
And we're getting a lot of crap from you too. So we're still friends. We still like Canada.
We're not going to take military action, to take Canada. It's not what he's doing. He is, again, negotiating. If you forget, that Donald Trump is possibly the greatest negotiator to be in our lifetime, you might begin to understand what he's doing here. But if you forget that he's a deal maker, that's what he does, walks in and says, you know what, I will vaporize that little dude over. And then they end up having tea in a Communist country!
That's negotiation. What is he doing with Russia? What is he doing right now? The only place I think he's absolutely clear. I mean, he doesn't -- he doesn't make threats.
He makes promises. And he's not threatening anything, but Panama, which we'll get into here in just a second.
Panama is a problem. A real problem.
And we need to talk about that. The other real problem is Hamas. And yesterday, he said about Hamas. That there's going to be hell to be paid.
Hamas doesn't release those hostages. The gates of hell are going to open up. And I believe him.
The -- the thing is, with a negotiator, you have to be able to see -- I mean, Trump always kind of means things. He's the -- you don't win. You don't become a good negotiator, if the people on the other side, always think you're bluffing, because you always are.
That's why America is in the Dumpster fire we're in right now. Because the rest of the world, just thinks that, you know, oh. You know what, well, don't do this.
Or we will give you a strongly worded letter. If the world or anybody sitting across the negotiating table from you, whether this is in your life or global politics, if they believe you're someone who will do what they say, you have all the negotiating power.
Because, you know what, I -- I would love to work here. But I can't work here. And I won't work here, unless these things happen.
He's just negotiating. Really? Watch me walk out, and I will. And no offense. No problems. I don't hate you. You shouldn't hate me.
I'm not trying to hold a gun to your head. I'm just saying, I can do better. And these things are a requirement for me.
When Donald Trump says, look, you're going to have to close the border.
He means that. Now, when he says, we also will -- you know what, we might just annex Mexico or Canada.
That's part of the negotiation process. Because honestly, he just might do it! This is the kind of president we've always wanted, one that is a hard negotiator on our side! On our side!
When he says, America first, he means it.
Which brings me back to Panama. When you understand Panama, you'll understand Donald Trump entirely. And you will look at Donald Trump in a completely different way.
GLENN: All right.
Panama. We know of Panama Canal as the place that we built.
It was the biggest undertaking. It was probably the biggest human achievement, at the time. Making the canal, so you didn't have to go all the way down, to South America, to the tip of South America.
Almost to Antarctica. And come back to get to the -- to get to the Pacific Ocean. Or to get to the Atlantic, if you're going the other direction.
We made the Panama Canal. Teddy Roosevelt was the one who did it. Jimmy Carter sold it to Panama for a dollar.
Now, when you make a deal like that, you don't expect to be screwed after his. You know, you kind of have, hey, favored nation.
You know, you will be our pal. Well, Panama has been palling up with China.
And the president of Panama had just said with be there are -- there are no Chinese, at the canal. Nobody is -- no. No. There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal.
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
So Donald Trump, on Christmas, sent a message, again, negotiating, letting everyone know where he stands. Merry Christmas to all.
Including the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally operating the Panama Canal.
Now, if you don't know anything about the Panama Canal. You might think this is crazy. This is -- this shows how much homework Donald Trump has done. This shows -- this is the first time I have seen since maybe Reagan, where we are actually talking about our national security.
Not in a reactive way. We have now a president who is looking at real national -- our national security is not in Ukraine!
Our national security is here at the home front.
And why -- why is he so obsessed with Panama?
It's just not that we're having our eyes pushed into our his and being gouged.
It is also because China has -- has purchased a lot of the Panama Canal operating permits.
So, in other words, the -- the one that is the last, I think lock.
I don't know enough about it.
But the last area of the Panama Canal. Going into the Pacific. It's now run by a Chinese company.
Now, is that honestly Chinese soldiers?
No!
No.
But it is the People's Liberation Army, that can take over that business because that's the deal.
Do you really think all of these investors just got together, on their own. Which doesn't happen in China.
And went, you know what, we should buy up all the land surrounding the Panama Canal? It would be a good idea. But good investment for us. No!
STU: And, Glenn, clarification on that. We were okay with Hong Kong taking it over. Not China. It was before that transition happened. So we were like, okay. Hong Kong, we're working with them all the time.
Okay. And then China basically takes over Hong Kong.
And now China has it.
We weren't okay with China having that, even back then.
GLENN: Yeah. You cannot have -- this is a huge strategic asset.
If our fleet. Our Atlantic fleet needs to get over to the other side, and into the Pacific, you want them to get there as quickly as possible. And that's why we build the Panama Canal.
This is a Cuban missile crisis moment. And this is -- honestly, it might even go back to JFK. To where you have a president, who is forward thinking enough, to go, this is a real threat to our national curate.
And an actual threat to our national security.
All they have to do is close the Panama Canal. Or cause trouble at the Panama Canal. And the United States is in real, real trouble.
So the one that you should pay attention to, that is actually trouble, is the Panama Canal.
The rest of it, negotiation.