Fresh off toppling Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump signaled bolder US moves, naming Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Mexico, and Iran as potential next stops in a 30-minute Air Force One Q&A Sunday.
The Nobel-aspiring, intervention-wary leader now asserts Washington’s backyard dominance.
Greenland
Trump ramps up annexation push from Denmark, citing security vs. Russia/China. Analyst Asli Aydintasbas (Brookings): “Top target.” Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen warns it could doom NATO; referendum pressure looms.
Colombia
Harshest barbs for leftist Gustavo Petro—”watch your ass”; military “sounds good.” Trump links him to cartels like Maduro. Petro vows arms if pushed. Aydintasbas: “Bullying for hegemony—or else.”
Cuba
“Ready to fall,” Trump predicts, eyeing sanctions sans Venezuelan oil. 32 Cuban guards died in Maduro op. Rubio (State Sec) keen; no troops needed yet.
Mexico
“Get your act together,” Trump told Claudia Sheinbaum (met Dec at World Cup draw). Pushes US troops vs. cartels—she rebuffed before. Sheinbaum rejects US overlordship: Americas “belong to none.”
Iran
Post-June nuclear strikes, Trump threatens “hard hits” over protest crackdowns. Lindsey Graham joked “Make Iran Great Again.” Aydintasbas cautions: Trump may sour if Venezuela/Mideast sours.
