During a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump was asked about potential military or economic actions regarding both Greenland and the Panama Canal. He responded, “No... I can’t assure you on either of those two.” He further stated, “The Panama Canal was built for our military… It’s being operated by China.”
At the same press conference, Trump announced that his administration would seek to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America," calling it "a beautiful name" and "appropriate." The Gulf, rich in petroleum, is the world's ninth-largest body of water and has been referred to as the Gulf of Mexico on maps since the 1500s.
Since winning the November presidential election, Trump has frequently expressed interest in annexing territories, particularly the Panama Canal. He has recently escalated criticism of Panama’s canal operations, calling its tolls “exorbitant” and alleging Chinese influence. However, Panamanian officials firmly reject these assertions, emphasizing that the canal is operated by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), an autonomous agency under Panama’s government since the U.S. transferred control in 1999.