Washington, 20 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump escalated his provocative rhetoric on territorial expansion by sharing doctored images suggesting the United States should extend its control over Canada, while renewing calls for Washington to acquire Greenland.

One image posted on social media showed Trump in the Oval Office with European leaders, alongside a presentation board depicting a map of the Western Hemisphere in which the US, Venezuela, Greenland and Canada are rendered in the red, white and blue of the US flag.

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of placing Canada under US control, at times suggesting the neighbouring country should become America’s "51st state," remarks that have drawn outrage in Canada.

The original photo used in the manipulated image showed Trump meeting European leaders in the Oval Office in August to discuss efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine. Those present included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

In a second image shared on Tuesday, Trump is depicted planting a US flag in Greenland, flanked by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A sign in the foreground reads: "Greenland: US territory, est. 2026."

In the series of early morning posts on his Truth Social platform , Trump reiterated his demand that the United States take control of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, calling the Arctic island "imperative" to global security.

"There can be no going back — on that, everyone agrees!" he wrote.

Trump refers to the desire to exert greater control over the Western Hemisphere as the "Donroe Doctrine," a combination of his name and that of James Monroe, a former US president.

Trump has said the United States now "runs" Venezuela following military strikes in Caracas on January 3 and the capture and removal of president Nicolás Maduro. He said Washington would "indefinitely" control the sale of the country's oil.

Photo: Screenshot