Several White House officials revealed to NBC News that President Donald Trump is growing increasingly “worried” over Canada regarding its ability to defend its borders, with one official saying that Trump’s concern stems from his “vision of ‘solidifying’ the Western Hemisphere,” the outlet reported Sunday.
“Trump is really worried about the U.S. continuing to drift in the Western Hemisphere and is focused on this,” said one Trump administration official regarding Trump’s concern over Canada, speaking with NBC News under the condition of anonymity.
Trump’s fixation on Canada is couched in his efforts for the United States to acquire Greenland, which he’s claimed is vital to national security. On Saturday, Trump slapped eight European nations with new tariffs over their apparent objections to the U.S. acquisition of Greenland, tariffs that he said would increase until the arctic island is under the United States’ control.
According to Trump, the security of Canada’s northern border, another Trump administration official said, was part of his efforts to acquire Greenland and secure the security of the entire Western Hemisphere.
“At the end of the day, this is to stop Russia and China from having a further presence in the Arctic,” said a senior Trump administration official, speaking with NBC News under the condition of anonymity. “Canada stands to benefit from the U.S. having Greenland.”
Greenland is currently a territory of Denmark, though operates autonomously with its own government. Its prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said last week that the island’s inhabitants would prefer to stay under Danish control. When Trump was asked about Nielsen’s comments, he revealed he was unaware of who he was, but condemned his comments nonetheless.
“I disagree with them,” Trump told reporters last week when asked about Nielsen’s remarks. “I don’t know who he is, don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem.”
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