President-elect Donald Trump is likely serious with his calls to reacquire the Panama Canal and buy Greenland, but he's "trolling" Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with his comments about making Canada the 51st American state, former Sen. Rick Santorum said on Newsmax Sunday.
"I think the Panama Canal and Greenland are serious issues," Santorum told Newsmax's "Sunday Report."
The Panama Canal, he said, is experiencing an increased Chinese presence, producing concern about whether China will have a disproportionate ability to disrupt the American economy.
And Greenland, which is owned by Denmark, is a country rich in rare-earth minerals, but its proximity to Russia creates implications for U.S. national and economic security, said Santorum.
"If these rare-earth minerals become as important as they are becoming, someone is going to make a move toward Greenland and they're going to need protection, and the United States is a credible alternative for them other than the Danes," he said.
But Santorum said he thinks that where Canada is concerned, Trump is "just enjoying the fall of [Prime Minister] Justin Trudeau and "wants to be a part of trolling him to make him feel even worse," he said.
However, the economies of the United States and Canada are dependent on each other, and Canada has worked with the United States on the free trade agreement reached along with Mexico, said Santorum.
But joining forces with Canada would "not be a particularly beneficial marriage for the United States, he added.
Meanwhile, Santorum predicted that people will see "shock and awe" when Trump takes office.
"That's a comment that was used during the during the Gulf War of just an overwhelming force and I think that's what Donald Trump is going to be," said Santorum.
Also, if Trump paces his agenda out, the media will come after him with the full force of objections and criticism, "so it just makes all the sense in the world for Donald Trump to come out guns blazing," said Santorum.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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