Madness

Greenland.  Denmark has been a long time and strong ally of the United States(1).  We've had military bases and other presence on the island since the Second World War.  If the U.S. wants to expand its linkage with Denmark and Greenland for security, including resource issues, we would be able to do so.

Instead, President Trump, needlessly and recklessly, is pursuing the acquisition of Greenland, and has now threatened tariffs on any country that disagrees with his push to acquire that icy land.  This is lunacy. He has only one mode of operation; sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn't, but there is never any overall coherence, other than being tied to his need for self aggrandizement.  MAGA is whatever Trump does at any particular moment, nothing more, nothing less.(2)  He has no check engine light.  He will keep pushing for whatever he is obsessed with in the moment, regardless of the law, the constitution, or long term implications.  The only way to stop him is a punch in the face, repeated frequently.  China's effectively done it with the result that Trump's economic policies are now tougher on our allies than on our enemies.

There are things that, at a policy level, I agree with Trump on, but the overall chaos, repeated reversals by the president, the number of incompetent personnel he has appointed, his inability to persuade anyone on the fence, and the lack of thoughtful strategy means that little of what he is doing is sustainable (3)  Not that he cares.  He lives in the moment, in his own reality show.

And then there is the corruption.  Pardons given out in exchange for contributors or payments to Trump intermediaries. Actions to pump the value of the Trump family's crypto currency investments.  The golf course and other investments in Qatar.  And it's blatant.  In May 2025, Donald Trump Jr was to appear on a panel titled "Monetizing MAGA" at an investment conference in Doha until somebody finally realized that it was a bit over the top and changed the title.  Yes, the Biden family was also corrupt, but so what?

His disinterest in the future outside of himself and his family means that when he leaves office the Republican party will be a hollowed out shell.  The primary occupation of likely successor JD Vance is playing with his online friends while he decides what he wants to be when he grows up. 

As for the Democrats, we are witnessing the derangement of the entire party apparatus and its supporting institutions.

There are no adults in the room.   

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(1) Denmark is also the only western European country without a surging right-wing anti-immigration party because the existing centrist government has taken strong action to control its borders, insist upon immigrant assimilation, and deports those who are a danger to the country. 

(2) That's why I have not wasted any time reading the new National Security Strategy (NSS).  Trump hasn't read it so why should I?  Regardless of what is in the NSS, our foreign policy will be whatever Trump says it is at any particular moment in time. 

(3)  In the case of Greenland, acquisition requires approval by a 2/3 vote of the Senate and approval of the purchase appropriation by House and Senate. Good luck with that, though I am sure that Trump will take the position he can do it by Executive Order.  He's also threatened military action which he cannot do without Congressional approval, which he will not get.  I am sure he will take the position that it is a national security emergency that does not require Congressional approval, but attacking a NATO ally that poses no threat is different from Iran and Venezuela, which is why Trump has no legal authority under existing legislation to impose the tariffs.  Not that he cares.  The only thing that matters to Trump is can he get away with it.  While I think it unlikely Trump would take military action he is unpredictable enough that it cannot be ruled out.  If he does so without Congressional approval he should be impeached and convicted.