President-elect Donald Trump leaves the podium after a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida.
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PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his threat Tuesday that “all hell will break loose” if Hamas does not agree to release the hostages it is holding in Gaza by the time he returns home White in January. 20.
The comments came during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, during which Trump aired a laundry list of complaints on a wide range of issues, ranging from President Biden’s new ban on offshore drilling, to his various legal affairs, including the Panama Canal.
Negotiations between Hamas and Israel are underway in Qatar, with Hamas this week naming 34 hostages in Gaza – including two dual US citizens – whom it would be willing to release as part of a ceasefire deal .
Steve Witcoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, briefly joined Trump and told reporters that “we are making a lot of progress” in trying to free the hostages held by Hamas, and that he had “Really hopeful that between now and the inauguration, we have good things to announce.”
Trump would not elaborate on what he meant by his threat – first announced on social media in early December – that “all hell will break loose” if a deal is not reached.
“It’s not going to be good for Hamas, and frankly, it’s not going to be good for anyone,” Trump said.
Trump downplayed the January 6, 2021 riots at the Capitol
During the press conference, Trump reiterated that he plans to issue “major pardons” to defendants charged in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, something he previously said he planned to do on his first day in office. He did not rule out the possibility of granting pardons to those accused of violent crimes, saying he would “look at the matter as a whole.”
Trump also downplayed the significance of an attempted insurrection that day and falsely claimed that the rioters had no weapons. Several were armed with loaded handguns.
He said his administration would examine the role of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on January 6, although there was no evidence of any involvement by that group.
Trump says Greenland and Panama Canal are essential to US security
Responding to questions from reporters, Trump refused to rule out the use of military or economic coercion to gain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, arguing that both are necessary for national and economic security.
Trump talked about buying Greenland during his first term. His new comments come as his son Donald Trump Jr. made a personal trip to Greenland. Trump wrote on social media Monday that “Greenland is an incredible place, and people will benefit tremendously if and when it becomes part of our nation.”
In response, Mette Frederiksen – the Prime Minister of Denmark, which controls the Arctic island – stressed that Greenland was not for sale in a television interview on Tuesday.
Trump has not explained in detail why he wants to seize Greenland. Amanda Lynch, a professor at Brown University, told NPR last week that the island is rich in resources and has a strategic location.
“Greenland is our look at everything that’s happening, including the Northern Sea Route, which is controlled by Russia,” Lynch said. “In addition, Greenland has many resources, not only hydrocarbons, but also rare earth minerals and uranium. And when we think about the green energy transition, access to rare earth minerals in particular is important for any nation.”
Trump also reiterated his recent assertions on social media that Canada should join the United States. He ruled out the use of military force to achieve this.
“You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you look at what it looks like, and it would be much better for national security as well,” Trump said Tuesday. He also complained about the United States’ trade deficit with Canada.
“We don’t need their cars. You know, they make 20 percent of our cars. We don’t need them. I’d rather make them in Detroit. We don’t need their cars. We don’t need them. we don’t need their cars. We have huge fields of wood.
NPR Investigative Correspondent Tom Dreisbach contributed to this report.
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