Trump's Controversial Christmas: Attacks on the 'radical left' and dreams of control over Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada

In classic Donald Trump fashion, the president-elect spent Christmas Day criticizing his opponents, whom he described as radical left lunatics, in a series of posts on his social media platform, Truth. While Joe Biden delivered a traditional Christmas message about the power of the holiday to lift us up, unite us, and change the world, the Republican spent his time ranting online about some of his recent favorite topics: regaining control of the Panama Canal, purchasing Greenland, and annexing Canada.

His message began with a focus on the Panama Canal: Merry Christmas to all, including the wonderful Chinese soldiers who are operating the Panama Canal illegally (where we lost 38,000 people in its construction 110 years ago), always ensuring that the United States spends billions of dollars on ‘repairs,’ but they won’t have anything to say about ‘anything. This echoed some of his ongoing grievances about the infrastructure built by the U.S. government, which controlled the waterway until 1977, after which it was jointly operated by the U.S. and Panama until Panama took full control in 1999.

For several days now, the president-elect has been suggesting that the U.S. should reclaim control of the canal if American ships do not receive discounts on usage fees. He has also claimed—without providing evidence—that China, the U.S.'s rival, is in charge of the canal. In response, Panama's government has firmly rejected Trump's assertions, with President José Raúl Mulino stating, Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone belongs to Panama and will continue to do so, adding, The sovereignty and independence of our country are non-negotiable.

Despite this, Trump persisted in his claims about the canal. Another leader who failed to dissuade him was Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In his Christmas message, Trump wished Trudeau a pleasant holiday while accusing him of imposing too high taxes on Canadian citizens. But if Canada became our 51st state, their taxes would be reduced by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other country in the world, Trump added.

He also referred to Trudeau as the Governor of Canada, a derogatory term he has repeatedly used since floating the idea of annexing Canada to the United States. His remarks came as Trudeau faces a tough re-election campaign, after Trump previously threatened to impose a 25% tariff on imports if Canada did not curb irregular immigration to the U.S.

Next, Trump addressed the people of Greenland, stating that the U.S. needs the territory for national security reasons and that they want the U.S. to be there. In 2019, during his first term, Trump considered purchasing Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. He even suggested swapping Puerto Rico—an unincorporated U.S. territory—for Greenland and proposed redirecting federal funds from Puerto Rico, which was struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria, to facilitate the purchase.

Now, less than a month before returning to the White House, Trump has revived the idea, insisting that purchasing Greenland, the world’s largest island, would be crucial for U.S. national security and the freedom of the world. In a similar fashion to President Mulino, Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede has already told Trump that the territory is not for sale.

Finally, the Republican concluded his tirade by turning back to familiar topics: denouncing the left, the Biden administration, and what he claims is a political persecution against him. Merry Christmas to the radical left lunatics, who are constantly trying to obstruct our judicial system and elections, always going after the great citizens and patriots of the United States, especially their political opponent, ME, he wrote.

He also alluded to the possibility that Biden may grant pardons to members of his administration to shield them from retaliation once Trump takes office next month, adding, They know their only chance of survival is to get pardons from a man who has no idea what he’s doing. Trump criticized Biden for commuting the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal inmates, who are now serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

We had the Greatest Election in the history of our country, a bright light now shines on the United States, and in 26 days, we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. MERRY CHRISTMAS! concluded the president-elect’s Christmas message.