“‘I think we’re going to have [Greenland],’” said President Trump when talking about annexing the territory, which is, according to the president, of strategic and economic importance to the United States. His words sparked fierce opposition in Greenlanders and alarm worldwide on Trump’s growing plans for U.S. expansion in what some have called a “return to imperialism.” Despite a 2018 survey revealing 68% of Greenlandic citizens supporting independence from Danish rule (which is presumably the basis for an American takeover), only 6% in a recent poll support joining the United States.

But, the U.S. president did not stop at Greenland. Trump also claimed that “China is running the Panama Canal” and that the canal was charging the U.S. “exorbitant rates,” vowing to retake control over the trade route, given to Panama in 1977. The canal, located between Central and South America and connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is vital to U.S. and international trade—without it, American ships would have to pass under the lowermost tip of South America, significantly lengthening transport times. For both Greenland and the Panama Canal, the president refused to rule out using military force to seize control of the territories.

Then, he moved onto Canada. Not only did the president impose hefty tariffs on the country (alongside Mexico and China), he suggested “Canada become our 51st state,” a remark that the country’s former prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has warned is not a joke but a “real thing,” speculating that the president may be looking into Canada’s supply of minerals and resources. This has led to fierce Canadian pushback and patriotism, with crowds booing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at sports events in Canada, boycotting U.S. goods, placing “Buy Canadian” signs at grocery stores, and a 10% jump in people feeling “very proud” to be Canadian, according to a recent poll. The country’s politics have also unified—messages from the opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre (a Conservative), have reduced focus on the Liberal Party’s pitfalls and instead on national unity.

What are perhaps Trump’s most controversial statements regard Gaza, which he has previously proposed to annex and develop into a “Riviera of the Middle East” while forcibly removing Palestinians from the area, a suggestion that Congressman Al Green and human rights organizations have condemned as “ethnic cleansing.” Trump then helped circulate a 1-minute video created using AI that showcased the Gaza Strip transformed into a westernized city and holiday resort, along with golden statues of Trump and the expansion of Trump’s hotel business into Gaza, drawing further pushback from Arabs and Muslims.

It is important to note that the president has attempted to justify his remarks through emphasizing the safety and stability he can provide to Greenlanders and Palestinians living in Gaza, as well as the populations of the above countries purportedly supporting his claims to their land (a point that has been disproven by multiple polls and surveys). These policies are not popular among Trump’s own people, either—majorities of U.S. voters oppose the annexation of Greenland, Canada, and Gaza, and more people oppose the taking over of the Panama Canal than support it. “Trump’s actions are kind of a herald for a new era of America—an era where the president takes the steering wheel and drives this country to wherever he sees fit for his own ideals, not necessarily the ideals of the citizens he represents,” says Abhiram Nadipalli, a junior at Wayne Hills. Nevertheless, although people around the world oppose the return of the United States back to its ancient imperialist and nationalist roots, Trump seems determined to keep these ideas on the table.