Donald Trump wants to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal, as well as rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. For good measure, he’s joked about making Canada the 51st state. Furthermore, he’s willing to use force to make it all happen — at least, that’s what the mainstream media reports.

So, what is Trump really up to? Well, it’s a bit of typical Trumpian hyperbole mixed with actual intentions sprinkled with just the right amount of trolling to keep everyone flummoxed.

Does Trump really want Greenland? Is Trump really willing to use force to take the Panama Canal? Would Trump really annex Canada, making our neighbor to the north the 51st state? Is Trump serious about renaming the Gulf of Mexico?

Starting in reverse order, the answer to renaming the Gulf of Mexico is a definite yes. “We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America,” he stated during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate. “What a beautiful name, and it’s appropriate.” He also once again floated raising “very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada” to get them to help stop illegal immigration. Trump intends this as a tangible issue to further his argument regarding Mexico’s complicity in mass migration. It’s a verbal flex move.

The notion that a president would rename geographic locations is not unprecedented. Under Barack Obama, Mount McKinley in Alaska was renamed Denali, the traditional name native tribes gave it. Furthermore, under Joe Biden, numerous U.S. military bases — such as Fort Bragg, now called Fort Liberty — were renamed due to the woke hysterics over honoring Confederate generals. In other words, Trump’s renaming proposal is far from outlandish or unprecedented. Indeed, it’s all the rage in Washington these days.

But what of Trump’s call for Canada to become the 51st state? Is this a genuine agenda item? The answer is no. Trump is simply trolling departing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Like a cat with a mouse, Trump is enjoying prodding Trudeau. And clearly, Trudeau can’t take a joke. “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,” he retorted. “Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner." That was in response to Trump telling reporters that he wouldn’t use the military to annex Canada, just "economic force.” You can almost hear his mischievous grin.

The truth is that the feud between Trump and Trudeau goes back to his first term. Trump took umbrage at the young Canadian leader, who clashed with him over his America First agenda. This was highlighted by a moment at the 2019 NATO summit when Trudeau was caught on camera appearing to mock Trump with European leaders, saying, “[Trump] was late because he takes a 40-minute press conference off the top.” At the time, Trump responded by calling Trudeau “two-faced,” adding, “I find him to be a nice guy, but the truth is, I called him out on the fact that he’s not paying 2% [of GDP for defense], and I guess he’s not very happy about it.”

Now, Trump remains standing while Trudeau’s political career is effectively over as he leaves his Liberal Party in shambles.

What should be made of Trump’s comments on the Panama Canal and Greenland? As with Canada, Trump was asked if he would use military force to gain control. He answered, “I’m not going to commit to that. It might be that you’ll have to do something. Look, the Panama Canal is vital to our country. We need Greenland for national security purposes. We need them for economic security. The Panama Canal was built for our military.”

He then stated, “The Panama Canal is a disgrace. What took place at the Panama Canal? Jimmy Carter gave it to them for $1, and they were supposed to treat us well. I thought it was a terrible thing to do.”

Trump is right about both the Panama Canal and Greenland being important to the U.S. for both national and economic security. Our biggest geopolitical foe, Communist China, has been aggressive in its efforts to spread its influence worldwide, including across the Western Hemisphere. Specifically, China has had its sights set on Greenland for over a decade. It has aggressively courted the sparsely populated, semi-autonomous island with promises of foreign investment. In return, the Danish embassy in Beijing set up a fast-track program for Chinese citizens to travel to Greenland.

Greenland is located along a critical maritime route. It’s also a strategic region for the U.S. military and hosts America’s northernmost military base, Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base. Furthermore, the island is rich in rare earth minerals, which are essential to many high-tech applications, including U.S. military weapons systems. China has cornered the market on these essential minerals.

The Panama Canal is also strategically important to the U.S., especially for economic security. If China were to gain influence over the canal zone, it could significantly impact the flow of goods and the cost of commerce. Furthermore, it could impede the movement of some of our navy vessels, which is especially troubling given Beijing’s intentions for Taiwan.

Trump is looking to check China, not simply engage in some act of expansionist vanity.

Our current president has been sleepwalking for the past four years, while the president-elect is smarter than virtually all of his critics. Donald Trump wants peace, but he knows we must become much stronger and show Communist China that we are not pushovers. That’s why he is raising these issues.