Trump does not rule out using force to retake the Panama Canal and threatens “hell will break out” over the Israeli hostage issue

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday lambasted President Joe Biden and considered renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” one of a series of topics he broached during a freewheeling news conference at Mar-a-Lago. One, it was less than two weeks before he was elected president.

Trump first announced a $20 billion investment by Middle Eastern company Damac Properties to build new data centers across the United States, especially in the Midwest and Sunbelt.

However, he quickly turned his focus to criticizing President Joe Biden’s final actions before leaving office and expressing his desire to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, without ruling out using the military to ensure what he called U.S. economic and national security.

The following are the main contents of Trump’s press conference, his second press conference since being elected president.

Trump slams Biden transition

Trump took aim at Biden’s move to ban all future offshore oil and gas drilling on the east and west coast of the United States.

The action is one of several Biden is taking to preempt Trump’s second-term goals.

More: Biden’s move to permanently block offshore oil drilling sparks Trump’s ire

“We inherited a difficult situation from the outgoing administration and they are doing everything they can to make it even more difficult,” Trump said, claiming they had failed to facilitate a “smooth transition.”

On Biden’s oil drilling ban, Trump vows: “I will revoke it immediately. It will be done immediately. We will drill the babies,” but that may be difficult because the Biden ban is considered permanent by law Yes, Congress will need to change it.

Trump considers creating ‘Gulf of America’ and seizing Panama Canal

When Trump talked about the U.S. desire to control Greenland and the Panama Canal, he considered changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.”

“What a beautiful name. And fitting. Fitting,” he said.

Trump said he wanted to buy Greenland during his first term, but the island flatly refused at the time. When Trump pushed for the initiative again after his election, Greenland’s prime minister pointed out that the project was not for sale.

When reporters asked him if he would commit not to use military force or economic coercion to acquire the territories, Trump apparently did not rule it out.

“No, I can’t guarantee you either of those. But I can say this, we need them to keep our economy secure,” Trump said.

Trump also raised the possibility of imposing “very high levels” of tariffs on Denmark to acquire Greenland, claiming that Denmark may not have any “legal rights” to Greenland. As Trump spoke, his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., was in Greenland on what he claimed was a personal visit.

Trump has also been an outspoken critic of former President Jimmy Carter’s oversight of the Panama Canal Treaty, which gave the Central American country final control of the vital waterway.

Trump called Carter a “good guy” but said he believed abandoning the Panama Canal was the reason Carter failed to win re-election. The comments came as Carter’s body was being transported from Georgia to Washington ahead of a state funeral.

“This was a big mistake,” Trump said of Carter’s decision on Panama.

‘Hell will break out’ if Hamas doesn’t release hostages at inauguration

Steven Witkoff came to Mar-a-Lago with Trump and appointed him as Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East. The two were asked about ongoing efforts to secure the release of Israeli and other hostages still held by Hamas.

“Hell is going to break out. If those hostages don’t come back… if they don’t come back by the time I take office, hell is going to break out in the Middle East,” Trump said.

When asked to elaborate, Trump simply said: “It’s not good for Hamas. It’s not good for anybody, frankly.”

Witkov said in a brief speech that “really huge progress” had been made in the hostage negotiations.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Ansari said on Tuesday that ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel were “under way.”

Not ruling out amnesty for violent rioters on January 6

When asked by ABC News senior White House correspondent Selena Wang, Trump refused to commit to not pardoning defendants charged with violent crimes on Jan. 6, including those who assaulted police officers.

“Well, you know, the only person who was killed was a beautiful young lady named Ashley Babbitt,” Trump said, again trying to downplay the violence that occurred as thousands of supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

More: Trump continues efforts to downplay Jan. 6 violence as ‘a day of love’

The U.S. Department of Justice said about 140 law enforcement officers were injured in the riots.

He also falsely claimed again that no one in the crowd was carrying a gun.

Praise Facebook, Instagram for ending fact-checking program

Trump was asked how he would react to Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, announcing it would replace its fact-checking process with “social notes.” Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the move on Tuesday.

“I watched their press conference and I thought it was a very good press conference. I think they told the truth and I think they’ve made a lot of progress, Meta, Facebook. I think they’ve made a lot of progress. Big progress.

Asked if he thought Zuckerberg was responding to Trump’s past “threats” against him, Trump said: “Maybe.”

Meta launched its fact-checking program after Trump’s 2016 victory. Trump was banned from Facebook and Instagram after the Jan. 6 Capitol siege over concerns that his posts incited violence.

Trump doesn’t rule out using force to retake Panama Canal, threatens Israeli hostages with ‘hell will break out’ originally appeared on abcnews.go.com