“The other half the time, conservatives are pushing to expand the empire because ... Merica!”
Who said anything about taking it? We’ll buy it fair and square.
Denmark's PM has stated very plainly that Greenland is not for sale.
So that should be the end of it.
Columbia also didn't want to accept the terms offered to build the canal in its Panamanian province. So the U.S. supported Panamanian revolutionary groups, and after Panama broke away from Columbia, made a deal with the new nation.
It's an old imperial trick. If a foreign government would do your bidding, install a more friendly government. Today of course, it's called a color revolution.