Trump’s Greenland Push Resurfaces Amid ‘Troll’ Remarks on Annexing Canada, Analysts Say

President-elect Donald Trump’s renewed suggestion of buying Greenland is far from a spontaneous remark, CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman emphasized during a discussion on Tuesday. However, his suggestion to annex Canada appears to be a “troll” meant as a “dominance play,” they said.

Collins debunked the notion that Trump is improvising with his Greenland comments. “The idea that he’s just coming up with this on the fly, that’s not the case,” she said during a segment with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. She noted that Trump has floated the idea of purchasing Greenland since 2019, even tasking foreign policy aides, including then-National Security Advisor John Bolton, to explore the feasibility.

“It kind of blew up and never really went anywhere after it became public in a report by the Wall Street Journal,” Collins explained. “But it’s certainly something he’s entertained.” In addition to Greenland, Trump has recently turned his attention to the Panama Canal, expressing concerns about Chinese influence in the region.

“It is something that he has gone on and on about at length,” Collins said. While Panamanian officials have denied any ongoing negotiations, Collins noted Trump’s surprising suggestion that military action to secure the canal has not been ruled out. “That’s really what’s going to be the question there,” she added. “That is Trump saying he isn’t ruling out using the military to achieve his interest here.”

Haberman corroborated Collins’ reporting, highlighting that Trump’s interest in Greenland is long-standing and rooted in strategic considerations. The idea was initially suggested to Trump by billionaire Ron Lauder, an heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics company. “It’s never totally gone away,” Haberman said.

However, when it comes to Trump’s remarks about annexing Canada, Haberman dismissed them as more performative than substantive. “Trump is clearly in an expansionist mindset,” she said. “He also keeps talking about Canada as a 51st state. That is clearly much more of a troll and sort of a dominance play.”

Haberman and Collins both underscored that Trump’s comments reflect his broader ambitions and unpredictable leadership style. While some ideas, like acquiring Greenland, are rooted in strategic thinking, others, such as annexing Canada, appear more like political theater designed to provoke and assert dominance.