He has repeatedly quipped in recent weeks that Canada should become the 51st state.
www.nbcnews.com
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested he would consider using military force to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, and "economic force" to acquire Canada.
During a free-wheeling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump was asked by a reporter if he could assure the public that he would not use military coercion against Panama or Greenland, a goal he has floated in recent weeks. “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two, but I can say this, we need them for economic security,” Trump said. He said later that he would not use military force against Canada, only "economic force."
“That would really be something,” Trump said of the U.S. taking control of Canada.
“You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like. And it would also be much better for national security,” Trump said. “They’re great, but we’re spending hundreds of billions here to protect it. We’re spending hundreds of billions a year to take care of Canada. We lose in trade deficits.”