Trump won't rule out using military to obtain Panama Canal, Greenland

STORY: TRUMP: “I'm not going to commit to that.”

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to rule out military or economic action as part of his desire to have the U.S. take back control of the Panama Canal and acquire the Danish territory of Greenland.

TRUMP: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this, we need them for economic security."

The extraordinary statement came as Trump further outlined an expansionist agenda, two weeks before he is sworn into office on Jan. 20 in Washington.

TRUMP: "We need Greenland for national security purposes. I've been told that for a long time. Long before I even ran.”

Trump suggested he would impose tariffs on Denmark if it resists his offer to purchase Greenland, which he said is vital to U.S. national security.

Denmark has said Greenland is not for sale.

Aaja Chemnitz is a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament:

CHEMNITZ: "It's a question of whether should we maybe collaborate a bit more with the U.S.? We shouldn't be bought by anyone because Greenland is not for sale and Greenland will not be for sale but we can have a closer collaboration on business development with the U.S.”

Her comments come as Trump's eldest son Donald Jr. on Tuesday arrived in Greenland's capital Nuuk on a private visit.

When it comes to Panama, its president Jose Raul Mulino has previously rejected the notion of turning the canal back to the U.S., which had owned it before handing over control to Panama in 1999.

TRUMP: "We gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn't give it to China. And they've abused it. They've abused that gift. It should have never been made by the way. Giving the Panama Canal is why Jimmy Carter lost the election, in my opinion, more so maybe than the hostages.”

The press conference, Trump's second since he won the Nov. 5 election, took place one day after Congress formally certified his victory.

TRUMP: "Nobody's ever won so many cases as I have."

Meanwhile, on the same day, a New York appellate court denied Trump's bid to halt the sentencing Friday for his conviction stemming from hush money paid to a porn star.

Also on Tuesday, a judge in a separate case temporarily blocked Special Counsel Jack Smith from releasing a report on his investigations into Trump for his mishandling of classified documents and attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.