Trump won’t rule out military force to retake Panama Canal, threatens ‘all hell will break loose’ over Israeli hostages

(WASHINGTON) -- President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday railed against President Joe Biden and mused on renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America," among a flurry of topics in 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, particularly in the Midwest and Sun Belt.

He quickly shifted focus, however, to criticizing President Biden's final actions before leaving office and laying out his desire to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, not ruling out using the military to ensure what he called U.S. economic and national security.

Here are key takeaways from Trump's press conference, his second since becoming president-elect.

Trump blasts Biden on transition

Trump took aim at Biden's move to ban all future offshore oil and natural gas drilling off of America's East and West coasts.

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

"We are inheriting a difficult situation from the outgoing administration, and they're trying everything they can to make it more difficult," Trump said, contending they were not facilitating a "smooth transition."

On Biden's oil drilling ban, Trump vowed: "I will reverse it immediately. It'll be done immediately. And we will drill baby drill," but that could prove very difficult because the Biden ban is considered permanent under the law and Congress would need to change it.

Trump muses on creating 'Gulf of America' and seizing Panama Canal

As he discussed his desire for U.S. control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, Trump mused on changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."

"What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate. It's appropriate," he said.

Trump said he wanted to purchase Greenland in his first term, which the island territory flatly rejected at the time. As Trump made the push again after his election win, Greenland's prime minister noted it is not for sale.

Asked by a reporter if he would commit to not using military force or economic coercion in his quest to acquire the territories, Trump notably did not rule it out.

"No, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this, we need them for economic security," Trump said.

Trump also floated the possibility of imposing tariffs “at a very high level” on Denmark to acquire Greenland, claiming Denmark might 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.

Trump also didn't mince words in criticizing former President Jimmy Carter, who died last week at the age of 100, for overseeing the Panama Canal Treaty that gave the Central American nation eventual control of the critical waterway.

Trump called Carter a "good man" but said he believed ceding the Panama Canal is why Carter didn't win a second term. The comments came as Carter's remains were being 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 out' if Hamas doesn't release hostages by inauguration

Trump was joined at Mar-a-Lago by Steven Witkoff, who he has tapped as his special envoy to the Middle East. The two were asked about ongoing efforts to secure a deal to release the Israeli and other hostages still being held by Hamas.

"All hell will break out. If those hostages aren't back … If they're not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East," Trump said.

Asked to elaborate, Trump only said: "And it will not be good for Hamas. And it will not be good, frankly, for anyone."

Witkoff indicated "really great progress" has been made on hostage negotiations during his brief remarks.

Ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel are "ongoing," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majid al-Ansari said Tuesday.

Not ruling out pardons for violent Jan. 6 rioters

Trump declined to commit to not pardoning Jan. 6 defendants who were charged with violent offenses, including those who attacked police officers, when asked by ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang.

"Well, you know, the only one that was killed was a beautiful young lady named Ashley Babbitt," said Trump, again seeking to downplay the violence that occurred as thousands of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Approximately 140 law enforcement officers were injured during the riot, the DOJ has said.

He also again falsely claimed that no one in the crowd carried firearms.

Praises end of Facebook, Instagram fact-checkers

Trump was asked for his reaction to Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, announcing it will replace its fact-checking program with "community notes." The move was announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday.

"I watched their news conference and I thought it was a very good news conference. I think they've honestly I think they've come a long way, Meta, Facebook. I think they've come a long way. I watched it. The man was very impressive," Trump said.

Asked if he believes Zuckerberg was responding to "threats" that Trump had made to him in the past, Trump responded: "Probably."

Meta introduced the fact-checking program after Trump's 2016 win. Trump was banned from Facebook and Instagram after the Jan. 6 Capitol siege over concerns his posts were inciting violence.

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