President-elect Donald Trump, during a governors’ dinner on Thursday evening at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, reiterated his plans to take control of Greenland and suggested that Denmark may face tariffs.
Trump, who was hosting the event, was joined by 22 of the nation’s 27 GOP governors, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte.
Speaking to reporters inside, Trump touched on a range of topics but focused predominantly on the agenda for his second administration.
Trump discussed his desire for the United States to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark that hosts a large U.S. military base, emphasizing its strategic importance to national security.
“We need this for national security, we need Greenland very badly,” Trump told reporters at the dinner. “The Russian ships and Chinese ships are all over the place, they’re surrounding [it] now, they have for a long time. That’s a lane. We need that for national security.”
Trump said the people of Greenland “would love to become a state of the United States,” adding that Denmark might not like it.
“Maybe things have to happen with respect to Denmark having to do with tariffs because they have to do this for the free world, we need that to protect the free world.”
Trump has also expressed his desire for the United States to control the Panama Canal—linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans—although he did not discuss this during Thursday’s dinner.
Trump Discusses Canada, Unmanned Drones, Putin
Trump defended calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a state “governor,” telling reporters that the nation of 40 million people should be part of the United States because “it would make a great state.”He said the United States is “subsidizing” Canada $250 billion a year, and doesn’t need to rely on products from the nation like lumber, dairy, and automotive.
Trump also touched on the frequent unmanned drone sightings that have made headlines in recent weeks and vowed to provide a report on the issue one day after taking office.
“I think it’s ridiculous they’re not telling you what’s going on with the drones,” Trump said, seemingly referencing the federal government.
Several other governors at the dinner also expressed concern that the drones could make incursions into U.S. military or other secure areas.
“We’re gonna find out on the 21st,” he said. “You have to give me a little time after the Inauguration. But, shortly thereafter, I will give you a report on it. We’ll tell you exactly what it is.”
Later, Trump said he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling reporters: “He wants to meet, and we’re setting it up.”
Speaking to reporters outside the gathering, Governor Gianforte said attendees were “thrilled to accept the president-elect’s invitation” and welcomed a coming “collaborative, working relationship, which we have not had for four years.”
“It’s been a long period without cooperation from Washington,” Gianforte said. “So, we’re looking forward to the new administration coming in. We have a lot of business to get done on behalf of our states.”
The Montana governor noted some of the GOP governors invited to Trump’s dinner were unable to attend because they were being inaugurated. One was delayed by snow and unable to make it, he said.
It is not immediately clear which governors did not attend the dinner.
