Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, also floated the idea of turning Canada into a U.S. state, said he would demand far higher defense spending from NATO allies and promised to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

Still two weeks away from taking office, Trump has begun outlining an aggressive foreign policy with little regard to diplomatic considerations or the concerns of U.S. allies.

Asked at a press conference at his Florida resort whether he could assure the world he would not use military or economic coercion as he tries to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, Trump said, "No, I can t assure you on either of those two. But I can say this, we need them for economic security."

Trump criticized American spending on Canadian goods and military support for Canada. He 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. Shortly before Trump s comments, his son Don Jr. arrived in Greenland for a private visit.

"I don t think it s a good way forward to fight each other with financial means when we are close allies and partners," Denmark s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in response to Trump s comments.

CANADA SAYS:  WE WILL NEVER BACK DOWN 

Canada s minister of foreign affairs, Melanie Joly, said on X, "President-elect Trump s comments show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country. Our economy is strong. Our people are strong. We will never back down in the face of threats."

"The only hands that control the canal are Panamanian and that s how it will continue to be," Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha told reporters.

Ambassador Daniel Fried, a retired U.S. diplomat now with the Atlantic Council think tank, said Trump s comments painted a picture of national power as territorial expansion and compared him to a "19th century imperialist."

Trump s promise to rename the Gulf of Mexico echoed his previous vow to revert the name of Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, to Mount McKinley. Former President Barack Obama changed the name of the Alaskan mountain in deference to Native Americans.

Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who is expected to play a key role in looming U.S.-Mexico trade issues, appeared to dismiss Trump s call to rename the shared body of water later on Tuesday.