Panama, Greenland lash out at Trump's latest push to 'reclaim' them, 'one way or another'

It's harmless to say U.S. President Donald Trump isn't exactly endearing himself to galore overseas leaders these days.

In the past fewer days alone, he's clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and paused its U.S. subject aid, launched a trade warfare with Canada, Mexico and China, and mocked Lesotho in his archetypal code to Congress, claiming "nobody has ever heard of" the country.

And successful Trump's comments to Congress Tuesday, helium reiterated his plans for Panama and Greenland, prompting swift pushback from the leaders of those countries.

"To further heighten our nationalist security, my administration will beryllium reclaiming the Panama Canal," Trump said to rounds of applause. "The Panama Canal was built by Americans for Americans, not for others," helium added.

Trump besides made a nonstop entreaty to Greenlanders a week earlier islanders caput to the polls for parliamentary elections, saying helium would, "welcome you into the United States of America." Then, helium said his medication was "working with everybody progressive to effort to get it," referring to his wishes to get Greenland from Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally. 

"We request it truly for planetary satellite security. And I deliberation we're going to get it. One mode oregon the other, we're going to get it," Trump said. 

WATCH | Reaction from Greenland aft Trump's comments: 

Trump is lying: Panamanian president

Panama's president, Jose Raul Mulino, said Trump was "once again lying" successful a post connected X connected Wednesday morning.

"I reject, connected behalf of Panama and each Panamanians, this caller affront to the information and to our dignity arsenic a nation," helium wrote successful Spanish.

"The Panama Canal is not successful the process of being reclaimed ... the canal is Panamanian and volition proceed to be Panamanian!"

Trump's comments to Congress came aft a woody led by U.S. steadfast BlackRock was announced earlier Tuesday to bargain astir of the $22.8 cardinal US ports concern of Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison, which includes assets on the Panama Canal.

Mulino connected Wednesday said that Trump's alleged "reclaiming" of the canal had not been portion of discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a caller sojourn oregon with immoderate different U.S. official.

Daniel Fried, the Weiser Family distinguished chap astatine the Atlantic Council and erstwhile U.S. adjunct caput of authorities for Europe, wrote connected the Atlantic Council website Wednesday that Trump's comments could beryllium considered "hopeful" due to the fact that astatine slightest he's not invading Panama.

"That's hopeful due to the fact that it suggests that alternatively than invade Panama to prehend the canal, Trump mightiness telephone it a triumph if cardinal canal-related infrastructure were successful the United States alternatively than Chinese hands. That whitethorn beryllium a unsmooth mode to execute a bully deal," Fried wrote.

WATCH | Why Trump wants to instrumentality backmost the Panama Canal: 

'Greenland is ours'

Meanwhile, Greenland's premier curate declared Wednesday that "Greenland is ours" and cannot beryllium taken oregon bought.

Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede said the island's citizens are neither American nor Danish due to the fact that they are Greenlandic. The U.S. needs to recognize that, helium wrote successful a station successful Greenlandic and Danish connected Facebook Wednesday, adding the aboriginal of Greenland volition beryllium decided by its people.

"We don't privation to beryllium Americans, nor Danes; We are Kalaallit. The Americans and their person indispensable recognize that. We are not for merchantability and cannot simply beryllium taken. Our aboriginal volition beryllium decided by america successful Greenland," helium wrote successful the post.

Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland's curate for earthy resources, equality, concern and justice, told the Guardian that Trump's comments amusement a "fundamental deficiency of respect for america arsenic a people, for our humanities transportation to these lands and for our antiauthoritarian institutions."

"Hearing American legislators giggle implicit statements similar 'We are gonna get it 1 mode oregon the other' is disrespectful," she said, referring to the laughter successful Congress — and from Vice-President JD Vance — erstwhile Trump said helium had a connection for the "people of Greenland."

"As an American, I'm profoundly ashamed of my caput of state, his party, and its anemic absorption party. I anticipation you're capable to summation Greenlandic independency and stave disconnected my country's imperialist effort astatine annexation," someone wrote successful the comments of Egede's post.

Many successful Greenland, a immense and mineral-rich land that is simply a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, are disquieted and offended by Trump's threats to prehend power of homeland.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, successful an interrogation with broadcaster TV2, echoed Egede successful repeating that Greenland is not for sale. She said that Denmark would similar to clasp onto its commonwealth, but it's a commonwealth that indispensable beryllium improved done equality and respect.

Last month, Frederiksen told reporters that "we person been precise wide ... that everyone has to respect the sovereignty of each nationalist states successful the world, and that Greenland contiguous is portion of the Kingdom of Denmark."

"It's not for sale."

Fried, with the Atlantic Council, wrote that Trump repeated his menace to prehend Greenland "shamefully and tellingly."

"The threat, with its nineteenth-century imperial style, advances nary U.S. interest," helium wrote, explaining that Denmark "has made wide it would beryllium gladsome to accommodate the United States' subject oregon commercialized interests in Greenland."

"But that is not Trump's way: helium prefers to drawback and exert earthy power."

WATCH | Trump speaks to Congress: 

Lesotho comments 'quite insulting'

As for Lesotho, the African state Trump joked "nobody has ever heard of," its overseas curate said his remark was "quite insulting."

"I'm truly shocked that my state tin beryllium referred to similar that by the caput of state," Lejone Mpotjoane told Reuters.

Trump had been listing immoderate of the overseas spending helium saw arsenic a "waste," including, "Eight cardinal dollars to beforehand LGBTQI+ successful the African federation of Lesotho, which cipher has ever heard of." 

On Wednesday, the caput of Lesotho's main 2SLGBTQ+ rights relation denied it had ever received $8 cardinal from the U.S.

"We are virtually not receiving grants from the U.S.," People's Matrix spokesperson Tampose Mothopeng told AFP.

Meanwhile, idiosyncratic who has decidedly heard of Lesotho is billionaire Elon Musk, 1 of Trump's cardinal advisers. Not only was was Musk calved successful South Africa, which surrounds Lesotho, but his Starlink net outer work has applied for a licence to run successful Lesotho.

WATCH | Ontario plans to rip up Starlink deal: