The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 8th, 2025: Trump Suggests US Could Take Greenland, Panama Canal By Force & Multiple Wildfires Tear Through Los Angeles County
Wed, 08 Jan
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In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First, President-elect Donald Trump gave a wild press conference on Tuesday where he spoke about his intent to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, saying he would not rule out using military force to seize the territories. We’ll discuss the strategic importance of both areas, and why Trump is so focused on bringing them under American control. Then, multiple wildfires, fanned by hurricane force winds that show no signs of letting up, are tearing through Los Angeles County, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate as their homes get engulfed by the inferno. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What are Trump's intentions with Greenland and the Panama Canal?
It's Wednesday, 8 January. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Alright, let's get briefed. First, President-elect Donald Trump gave one of his trademark press conferences on Tuesday when he spoke about his intent to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, saying he would not rule out using military force to seize the territories.
We'll discuss the strategic importance of both areas and why President-elect Trump is so focused on bringing them under American control. I remember actually that Thomas Jefferson got the same sort of reaction back in the day during a press conference when he announced his plans for the Louisiana Purchase. Then...
Chapter 2: Why are Greenland and the Panama Canal strategically important?
Multiple wildfires, fanned by unrelenting winds, are tearing through Los Angeles County, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate as their homes get engulfed by the inferno. But first, our afternoon spotlight. President-elect Donald Trump might have his eye on U.S.
expansion, saying at a press conference on Tuesday that he's dead serious about acquiring both the Panama Canal and Greenland to strengthen America's strategic national security interests. Trump gave the remarks as a delegation of aides and advisors, including his son Donald Trump Jr., traveled to Greenland on Tuesday to make inroads on the issue.
With just two weeks to go until he returns to the Oval Office, Trump is already testing geopolitical norms as he looks to expand America's global sphere of influence, according to a report from the Associated Press. During the press conference, Trump suggested he could even use military force to seize control of both Greenland and the Panama Canal.
When asked about that possibility, Trump said, "...I'm not going to commit to that. It might be that you'll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country." He added, "...we need Greenland for national security purposes." So, you ask yourself, why is the president-elect so focused on Greenland and the Panama Canal?
While it's impossible to know the president-elect's full thinking on the matter, the simple answer likely lies with the threat posed by the expansionist-minded regimes in China and Russia. Greenland sits on vast deposits of rare earth minerals, oil, and gas, and is positioned near crucial global trade and military arteries.
The supply of rare earth minerals is of particular importance as they're used in everything from phones to electric cars and military equipment. China has been vying for dominance of Greenland's natural resources in recent years, while also pursuing expanded shipping routes through the region's waters.
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Chapter 3: What threats do China and Russia pose to U.S. interests?
Russia, meanwhile, has recently reopened dozens of Soviet-era military bases in the Arctic region, as tensions with the West deteriorate due to Putin's war in Ukraine. Between China and Russia, Trump argues that the US needs Greenland to deter potential threats and ensure America's top adversaries don't end up controlling the strategically important Arctic waters.
While highly autonomous, Greenland is still technically a part of Denmark, which governs foreign and security policy on the island. The U.S. has a decades-old treaty with Denmark granting U.S. access to an Arctic base in southern Greenland, which hosts an airfield and advanced radar and missile detection systems.
But Trump has cast doubts on the legitimacy of Denmark's claim over their former colonial territory. Trump's national security team has reportedly already held preliminary discussions on how to open negotiations with Greenland and Denmark once he returns to office. At the press conference, Trump said, quote, I'm talking about protecting the free world.
You look outside, you have Chinese ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We're not letting that happen, end quote. Now, turning to the Panama Canal, the top concern there is, well, also China. The American-built canal has been solely controlled by Panama for 25 years after the U.S.
returned the Panama Canal zone to the country back in 1979 during Jimmy Carter's administration. and ended joint partnership in controlling the strategic waterway back in 1999. Its economic importance to America is hard to overstate, as roughly 40% of U.S. container traffic relies on that vital waterway.
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Chapter 4: How has Trump's approach to the Panama Canal changed?
In 2021, roughly 73% of all vessels traversing the canal were traveling to or from American ports. Trump feels the US gave away the canal to Panama for nothing and that China has now moved in to vie for control. Panama established diplomatic relations with China in place of Taiwan in 2017, and Beijing has since undertaken significant infrastructure developments near the waterway.
Officials with US Southern Command have expressed concern over China's growing activity in the region, particularly their potential influence on two ports on either side of the canal that could enable it to influence canal operations. The ports are operated by Hutchinson Ports, that's a division of C.K. Hutchinson Holdings, that's one of the world's largest port operators.
It's important to note that no direct links have been identified between C.K. Hutchinson, a Hong Kong and Cayman Islands business, and the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP. But the concern is obviously the potential for the CCP to exert influence over a Hong Kong-based company, even one with significant Western ownership and investment, which includes BlackRock and Vanguard.
Chapter 5: What concerns exist regarding China's influence in the region?
There's also fears that China could introduce surveillance technology into the canal's infrastructure to monitor U.S. naval and commercial movements. Additionally, and this may be a key point, Trump has argued that Panama is charging America too high a price for ships passing through the canal.
Despite the media's typical pearl-clutching over Trump's comments, some current and former Trump advisors told the Wall Street Journal that his comments are meant as a negotiating tactic and shouldn't be taken at face value. They said his threats on Greenland are meant to secure U.S.
access to rare earth minerals over China, while his threats against Panama are designed to secure lower prices for U.S. ships sailing through the canal. A former senior national security advisor to Trump said, quote, There is this idea that our number one priority is the defense of the hemisphere and that China and Russia are coming into our backyard.
You have to see Greenland and Panama in that context. Coming up, multiple wildfires fanned by hurricane-force winds are tearing through Los Angeles County, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let's talk about trees, shall we? And plants. Oh, and don't forget shrubs. Now, did you know that Fast Growing Trees is the biggest online nursery in the U.S.?
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Chapter 6: What negotiating tactics is Trump employing regarding these territories?
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Hurricane-force winds are fueling three catastrophic wildfires across Los Angeles County, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes as firefighters struggle to contain the raging infernos. The Palisades fire erupted near the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Tuesday morning, rapidly consuming a minimum of 3,000 acres.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the acreage could, quote, rise drastically as flames spread through homes and businesses along the Pacific Coast Highway. As of now, roughly 30,000 residents have been told to evacuate their homes. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire erupted near Pasadena on Tuesday night, scorching over 2,200 acres and placing over 32,000 residents under evacuation orders.
Compounding the chaos, embers carried by the winds have sparked at least a dozen additional spot fires. In northern Los Angeles County, the Hearst Fire also erupted Tuesday night, ballooning to 500 acres in just four hours. Investigators are still probing the causes of these fires.
Relentless winds, with gusts reaching 60 to 80 mph and up to 100 mph in higher elevations, are creating extreme fire conditions, of course. Southern California's prolonged drought, when they've received less than one-tenth of an inch of rain since May, has only exasperated the crisis, prompting red flag warnings across the region.
Notably, the winds have also grounded the firefighting aircraft, leaving crews on the ground to battle flames without aerial support. In Pacific Palisades, scenes of chaos unfolded as residents fled the advancing inferno. Abandoned vehicles clogged the narrow canyon roads, forcing some to escape on foot.
Emergency crews struggled to clear paths for fire trucks using bulldozers, but gridlock hampered efforts to reach critical areas. Video from the Pacific Coast Highway reveals the extent of the destruction, with entire stretches of homes and businesses reduced to ashes.
The Los Angeles Fire Department issued an unprecedented call for off-duty personnel to report, underscoring the strain on resources as the fire's rage unchecked. Governor Gavin Newsom, who visited scenes of the Palisades fire, declared a state of emergency and mobilized over 1,400 firefighters to combat the escalating crisis.
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