President Trump discussed several of his top foreign policy priorities in public comments over the weekend, including his desire to purchase Greenland and the possibility of turning Canada into a U.S. state.
The president made the comments in a roughly 20-minute question-and-answer session with reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Miami Saturday evening.
Trump on Greenland: "I think we're going to have it"
Trump has said as far back as 2019 that , a massive Arctic island that is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
Though Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen that Greenland is "not for sale," Trump indicated on Saturday that he's still keen to make Greenland a part of the United States.
"I think Greenland will be worked out with us. I think we're going to have it. And I think the people want to be with us," Trump said.
Greenland contains critical natural resources such as rare earth minerals and uranium. Trump says the U.S. could provide security to the island and beyond.
"I don't know really what claim Denmark has to it. But it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn't allow that to happen because it's for protection of the free world. It's not for us, it's for the free world," Trump said.
The on Friday that Trump reiterated his interest in acquiring Greenland during a phone call with Frederiksen earlier this month.
Canada would benefit from becoming a U.S. state, Trump says
Trump has repeatedly threatened to impose tariffs on Canada in his second term, saying on Saturday that the northern neighbor of the U.S. has been "treating us very unfairly on trade."
"I love Canada. I have so many friends up in Canada. And they like us. They like me. But Canada has been taking advantage of the United States for years, and we're not going to let that happen," he added.
Trump suggested that Canada is more reliant on trade with the U.S. than the other way around, and that without the U.S. as its trading partner, Canada would struggle.
"So I don't want to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on supporting a country unless that country is a state," the president said. "And if it is a state, the people of Canada would pay a much lower tax. Their taxes would be cut in half. They would have no military problems. They'd be much more secure in every way. And I think it's a great thing for Canada."
Canadian Prime Minister earlier this month that his country becoming the 51st U.S. state is "not going to happen."
Trudeau, who announced at the beginning of this year that , has also warned that any tariffs imposed on Canada would mean . Trump said Saturday that U.S. tariffs on Canada would take effect on February 1.
Trump urges Jordan, Egypt to accept more Palestinian refugees
Trump has said that he would like Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries to accept more Palestinian refugees fleeing Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas 鈥� either temporarily or for the long term. A ceasefire that began last week remains in effect.
Trump complimented King Abdullah of Jordan 鈥� with whom Trump spoke over the weekend 鈥� for doing a "wonderful job" taking in and housing refugees from the conflict.
Trump said he asked the king to accept more refugees, and that he would make a similar request of Egyptian president Abdul Fatah al-Sisi during a call scheduled for Sunday.
"You're talking about probably a million and a half people. And we just clean out that whole thing. Over the centuries it's had many, many conflicts, that site. And I don't know, something has to happen," Trump said.
"It's literally a demolition site right now. Almost everything is demolished and people are dying there. So I'd rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change. It could be temporary. It could be long-term," he added.
Trump also said the U.S. has released 2,000-pound bombs bought by Israel that the Biden administration had previously blocked from being transferred to the country.
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