Trump declines to rule out military acquisition of Panama Canal, Greenland

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to rule out the use of military or economic coercion to acquire the Panama Canal and Greenland.

"No," he said, when asked to commit to not using either method. "No, I can't assure you on either of those two, but I can say this, we need them for economic security. The Panama Canal was built for our military. I'm not going to commit to that now, it might, it might be that you'll have to do something. Look, the Panama Canal is vital to our country."

"It's being operated by China, China, and we gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn't give it to China, and they've abused it. They've abused that gift. It should have never been made," Trump added.

Trump made the remarks during a press conference in Palm Beach, Fla., during which he announced a $20 billion investment by DAMAC Properties to build data centers.

He has openly floated the acquisition of Greenland, the Panama Canal, and even Canada in recent weeks.