GOP Senators Mock Trump’s Talk of Military Force in Panama, Greenland, and Making Canada the 51st State

Republican senators openly joked and laughed at President-elect Donald Trump’s recent comments suggesting he might consider military action in Panama and Greenland or even annexing Canada as the 51st state. The lighthearted reactions came as reporters pressed lawmakers for their thoughts on Trump’s unorthodox ideas.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joked about selectively acquiring parts of Canada. “Well, I think we’re selling ourselves short. I think we should add provinces,” he quipped, listing some of his favorite Canadian locations.

“It’s gorgeous all the time. I mean, it really is one of the most spectacular places on Earth,” he said, briefly serious before returning to sarcasm. “I’m not against going for pretty. And I wouldn’t mind having their ports, quite honestly. But I don’t really want all of them. So, that’s just really me.”

Reporters pressed Cramer for a serious response, noting Democrats’ comparisons of Trump’s comments to Chinese threats toward Taiwan. Cramer dismissed the parallel, emphasizing, “And we would not do that to Canada.” According to WSJ News When reporters pointed out that Trump hadn’t ruled out military force, Cramer responded, “He wouldn’t,” though he added with a chuckle that negotiations and “a large check” would likely suffice for acquiring Greenland or the Panama Canal.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) burst into laughter when asked about Trump’s comments. “I think Canada should do what it wants to do, and Greenland should do what they want to do,” she said, acknowledging Denmark’s role in any Greenland discussions.

However, she added, “These are transformative times, and it’s difficult to know what form these transformations are going to take. But I love the notion of having discussions that are a little out of the box, or maybe way out of the box.”

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) highlighted the strategic value of Greenland and the Panama Canal, calling it “stupid” for the U.S. to have relinquished control. However, he avoided directly answering whether he supported military action to retake them. Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) refrained from laughing but declined to comment altogether.

Despite the humor, Trump’s remarks have drawn criticism and comparisons to aggressive foreign policies by authoritarian regimes. Still, some GOP senators seemed to regard the comments as distractions, with Cramer noting, “You’re too easily distracted by absurd things Trump says.”