Secretary of State Marco Rubio says President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland and retake control of the Panama Canal is driven by legitimate national security interests stemming from growing concerns about Chinese activity and influence in the Arctic and in Latin America.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared Thursday that President Trump’s interest in taking control of Greenland and the Panama Canal “is not a joke” and vital to US national security interests. “This is not a joke,

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says President Donald Trump's desire to acquire Greenland and retake control of the Panama Canal is driven by legitimate national security interests stemming from growing concerns about Chinese activity and influence in the Arctic and in Latin America.

In his 2nd term as president, Donald Trump has entertained proposals to acquire Greenland from Denmark, make Canada the 51st US state, and seize control of the Panama Canal - Anadolu Ajansı

When Marco Rubio arrives in Latin America this weekend on his first foreign trip as Donald Trump's secretary of state, he'll find a region reeling from the new administration's shock-and-awe approach to diplomacy.

Rubio defended Trump's proposed territorial expansions as a 'national interest,' while Denmark and Greenland firmly rejected offers amid concerns over potential military action.