Over the past week or two, President-elect Donald Trump has on multiple occasions used decidedly expansionist rhetoric to suggest that the U.S. should annex, purchase, or otherwise seize control of Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal.

Yet, a recent report suggested that even Trump's fellow Republicans were not taking his remarks about Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal seriously but instead were dismissive of the talk as little more than "saber-rattling" bluster, according to Newsmax.

In other words, rather than herald Trump's comments as a redux of the 19th-century ideals of Manifest Destiny and the Monroe Doctrine, his GOP allies viewed them as a combination of unorthodox negotiation tactics and trolling to achieve U.S. interests.

Trump eyes control of Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal

In a pair of Truth Social posts on Dec. 21, President-elect Trump expressed concerns about China's growing control and influence over the Panama Canal and suggested that the U.S. would consider taking back control of the waterway that is critical to U.S. commerce, economy, and national security.

Just a day later, in a post announcing his ambassador to Denmark, Trump mentioned that kingdom's territory of Greenland, and wrote, "For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."

Trump had also taken a few trolling shots at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the past couple of weeks and suggested Canada should become the 51st American state, and in a wide-ranging Christmas Day message made mention of all three issues.

Trump's unique style of negotiations

Politico reported this week that while some controversy had predictably erupted over President-elect Trump's "expansionist" and "imperialist" posts about Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal, many Republicans had written off his "crazy" musings as not a big deal and potentially even beneficial to broader U.S. interests.

"From a foreign policy context, crazy worked just fine the first time," GOP strategist and first-term Trump appointee Matthew Bartlett said. "If leaders are like, we may not respect you but we absolutely think that you’re bonkers, and we don’t know what’s coming at us next, great. Full send. And if that leads to better peace and prosperity in Ukraine, in Israel, with terrorists on watch, with foreign states. Great. They should be put on notice."

Fellow GOP strategist Dave Carney shared that sentiment and suggested that Trump was "trying to soften the ground for negotiations" to win concessions for the U.S., and said, "With the president, there’s, I think, always the possibility that other countries think, 'holy shmoly, he may actually do that, we should try to accommodate him.'"

Likewise, pro-Trump pollster Jim McLaughlin suspected the posts were little more than a "Trumpian" style of negotiating, and told the outlet, "It’s the art of the deal, and it’s Trump putting America first. He’s trying to get the best deals for America."

What is Trump hoping to accomplish?

To be sure, Politico noted, President-elect Trump's comments about annexing Canada as the 51st state are likely intended mostly to troll Prime Minister Trudeau but nonetheless have coincided with new Canadian commitments to better secure the northern border and crack down on drug trafficking and other smuggling.

With respect to Greenland, it seems likely that Trump is eyeing acquiring the sparsely populated Danish territory to gain control of its largely undeveloped and abundant natural resources, including increasingly vital rare earth minerals, not to mention its strategic position as a hedge against Russian expansion in the Arctic Circle, while his interest in controlling the Panama Canal as a critical connection between the East and West is self-explanatory.

In a statement to Politico, Trump transition team spokeswoman Anna Kelly said, "President Trump has done more to put America First since November 5 than Joe Biden did in four years. World leaders are flocking to the table because President Trump is already delivering on his promise to Make America Strong Again."

"When he officially takes office, foreign nations will think twice before ripping off our country, America will be respected again, and the whole world will be safer," she added.