President Donald Trump has made the Western Hemisphere a priority of his second term, arguing that the U.S. must control the approaches to its own territory and keep China and Russia out. In practice, that has meant pressure on allies — Denmark over Greenland, Canada over trade, Panama over its canal — and military force against drug traffickers and, in January 2026, Venezuela's government.

Country by country

Country What Trump wanted What happened
Greenland (Denmark) U.S. control of the island Tariff threat against Europe dropped after a January 2026 "framework" deal
Canada Trade concessions; Trump mused about annexation Partial tariffs remain; trade pact under review
Panama End Chinese-linked control of canal ports Panama's top court voided a Hong Kong firm's port concession
Mexico Action against cartels Trump has threatened strikes on land; Mexico rejects U.S. troops
Venezuela Remove Nicolás Maduro U.S. forces captured Maduro on Jan. 3, 2026

Timeline

Early 2025 — "51st state" and the Panama Canal

Trump refused to rule out force to take Greenland or the Panama Canal, repeatedly called Canada the "51st state," and in an April interview said Canada would "cease to exist" without the United States. Canadians responded by electing Prime Minister Mark Carney, who campaigned on standing up to Trump. In March, the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchison agreed to sell 43 ports, including two at either end of the Panama Canal, to a group led by BlackRock and the shipping company MSC; Trump hailed the deal, and China's market regulator said it would review it.

September 2025 — Strikes on boats begin

On Sept. 2, the U.S. military destroyed a boat it said was carrying drugs from Venezuela, killing 11 people. It was the first of dozens of strikes in the Caribbean and then the eastern Pacific, under what the Pentagon later named Operation Southern Spear. By early October 2026, at least 238 people had been killed in at least 79 strikes, according to independent tallies; the Pentagon has not published a running count (News Americas Now; InSight Crime).

October–November 2025 — Mexico and the legal questions

The administration designated several cartels as terrorist organizations, and Trump said he would be willing to strike them inside Mexico. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said U.S. military action on Mexican soil was "not on the table," while sending dozens of jailed cartel figures to the U.S. for prosecution. At a G7 meeting in November, France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, said the boat strikes violated international law, and Britain reportedly stopped sharing some intelligence on suspected drug boats (Arab News). The administration says the strikes are legal acts of self-defense.

January 3, 2026 — Maduro captured

After weeks of strikes and a naval buildup, U.S. forces launched large-scale strikes on Caracas, and Delta Force commandos captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were flown to New York, where Maduro pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism, cocaine-trafficking and weapons charges. Venezuela said more than 100 people were killed in the operation; the Pentagon said seven U.S. troops were injured (CNBC; Council on Foreign Relations). Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as interim president.

January 2026 — Greenland crisis

Renewing his push for Greenland, Trump threatened tariffs on eight European countries that opposed it, starting Feb. 1; Reuters reported that officials had discussed paying each Greenlander $10,000 to $100,000 to join the U.S. (Al Jazeera). Greenland's prime minister dismissed "fantasies about annexation." Trump also tied the push to the Nobel Peace Prize, which in 2025 went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. Replying to a text from Norway's prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, and Finland's president opposing the tariffs, Trump wrote that since Norway had decided "not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS," he no longer felt obliged to think purely of peace, adding: "The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland." Støre replied that the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel committee, not the Norwegian government (CNN, via KEYT). At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 21, Trump announced a "framework" for a future Arctic deal with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, dropped the tariff threat and ruled out using force (NPR; The Washington Post).

January–April 2026 — Panama's ports change hands

Panama's Supreme Court ruled that CK Hutchison's concession to run the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals was unconstitutional, and the government took control of them. Hutchison began international arbitration, and the BlackRock-led group moved to complete the rest of its ports purchase without the Panama terminals (Axios; DealStreetAsia).

2026 — Canada and the trade-pact review

Trump threatened 100% tariffs on Canadian goods if Canada finalized a trade deal with China, after Carney cut Canada's tariff on Chinese electric vehicles. The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement came up for its scheduled review in July 2026. More than 85% of U.S.-Canada trade remains tariff-free, but steel, aluminum, autos and lumber still face U.S. tariffs (Air Freight News).

Where things stand now

  • Venezuela: Maduro is jailed in Brooklyn; a judge has set a preliminary trial date of June 1, 2027 (Jurist). Maduro-era officials led by Delcy Rodríguez took charge in Caracas after his capture.
  • Boat strikes: Continuing, mostly in the eastern Pacific.
  • Greenland: Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff were assigned to negotiate the details of the Davos framework with Denmark and Greenland; Denmark says Greenland is not for sale.
  • Canada: The USMCA review that began in July 2026 will shape the next phase of the trade relationship.

For the trade side of these disputes, see our timeline of Trump's tariffs.

Sources