President-elect Donald Trump railed against President Joe Biden on Tuesday and mused about renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” among a range of topics during a freewheeling news conference at Mar-a-Lago less than two weeks before he takes office.
Trump began his remarks by announcing a $20 billion investment from DAMAC Properties, a Middle East-based company, to build new data centers across the United States, mainly in the Midwest and the Sun Belt.
However, he quickly shifted focus to criticizing President Biden's last actions before leaving office and outlining his desire to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, not ruling out deploying the military to take care of what he American economic and national security.
Here are the key takeaways from Trump's press conference, his second since being elected president.
Trump criticizes Biden over the transition
Trump took aim at Biden's decision to ban all future offshore oil and natural gas drilling off the US east and west coasts.
The move is one of many by Biden to undermine Trump's second term goals.
MORE: Biden's decision to permanently block offshore oil drilling draws Trump's ire
“We inherited a difficult situation from the outgoing administration, and they are doing everything they can to make it more difficult,” Trump said, claiming they were not allowing for a “smooth transition.”
On Biden's oil drilling ban, Trump vowed: “I will immediately reverse it. It will happen immediately. And we will drill a baby drill,” but that could prove very difficult because the Biden ban is considered permanent under law and Congress would do so. must change it.
PHOTO: President-elect Donald Trump delivers remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, January 7, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Trump muses about creating the 'Gulf of America' and capturing the Panama Canal
While discussing his desire for U.S. control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, Trump pondered changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to “Gulf of America.”
“What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate. It's appropriate,” he said.
Trump said he wanted to buy Greenland in his first term, which the island territory flatly rejected at the time. When Trump increased the pressure again after his election victory, the Prime Minister of Greenland noted that it is not for sale.
When asked by a reporter whether he would commit not to use military force or economic coercion in his quest to acquire the territories, Trump notably did not rule it out.
“No, I can't give you any certainty about either of these. But I can say that we need them for economic security,” Trump said.
Trump also raised the possibility of imposing tariffs on Denmark “at a very high level” to acquire Greenland, claiming Denmark may not have any “legal right” to Greenland. As Trump spoke, his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., was in Greenland for what he claimed was a personal visit.
PHOTO: President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 7, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida (Evan Vucci/AP)
Trump also minced no words in criticizing former President Jimmy Carter, who died last week at the age of 100, for overseeing the Panama Canal Treaty that ultimately gave the Central American nation control of the critical waterway.
Trump called Carter a “good man” but said he believed ceding the Panama Canal was the reason Carter did not win a second term. The comments came as Carter's remains were transported from Georgia to Washington ahead of his state funeral.
“That was a big mistake,” Trump said of Carter's decision on Panama.
'All hell will break loose' if Hamas does not release hostages at the inauguration
Trump was accompanied at Mar-a-Lago by Steven Witkoff, whom he has appointed as his special envoy to the Middle East. The two were asked about the ongoing efforts to reach a deal on the release of the Israeli and other hostages still held by Hamas.
“All hell will break loose. If those hostages aren't back… If they aren't back by the time I get into office, all hell will break loose in the Middle East,” Trump said.
Asked for further explanation, Trump only said: “And it won't be good for Hamas. And it won't be good for anyone, quite frankly.”
Witkoff indicated during his brief remarks that “really great progress” has been made in the hostage negotiations.
Ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are “ongoing,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid al-Ansari said on Tuesday.
PHOTO: President-elect Donald Trump listens as Steve Witkoff speaks during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Jan. 7, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Apologies for violent rioters on January 6 are not ruled out
Trump declined to commit to pardoning defendants accused of violent crimes, including those who attacked police officers, on Jan. 6 when ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang asked.
“You know, the only one who was murdered was a beautiful young lady named Ashley Babbitt,” Trump said, again attempting to downplay the violence that occurred as thousands of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
MORE: Trump's continued efforts to downplay Jan. 6 violence as 'day of love'
About 140 law enforcement officers were injured during the riot, the DOJ said.
He also again falsely claimed that no one in the crowd was carrying firearms.
Praises the end of Facebook, Instagram fact checkers
Trump was asked for his response to Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, announcing it will replace its fact-checking program with “community notes.” The move was announced on Tuesday by CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“I watched their press conference and I thought it was a very good press conference. I think they've come a long way, honestly, Meta, Facebook. I think they've come a long way. I watched it. The man was very impressive Trump said.
When asked if he believed Zuckerberg was responding to “threats” Trump had made to him in the past, Trump said: “Probably.”
Meta introduced the fact-checking program after Trump's victory in 2016. Trump was banned from Facebook and Instagram after the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol because he feared his posts would incite violence.
Trump doesn't rule out military force to retake Panama Canal, threatens 'all hell will break loose' over Israeli hostages, originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
