Stop him before it is too late

Disappointed in not receiving the Nobel Prize, Donald Trump is doubling down on his effort to take Greenland from Denmark. He claims that it is vital to US security and has threatened new tariffs on European countries that oppose his effort. Europe holds enormous quantities of US Treasuries, as do other countries unhappy with Trump:

Even thinking out loud about dumping them is part of what cause a massive worldwide stock market selloff yesterday.

It all fits together

Trump is a real estate magnate, though he mostly inherited his assets and never succeeded in investing well. But he views the world in territorial perspective. Trump’s financial success has relied principally on branding and grifting. The grifting includes cell phones he failed to deliver, pardons he is selling, and cybercurrency that enables bribery with little chance of getting caught. He is also a notorious bully. He uses his bullying mainly to benefit Russia, not the US. We’ve seen that in his treatment of Ukrainian President Zelensky.

It all fits together well when it comes to Greenland. The giant frozen island to him is a nice chunk of real estate that some of his billionaire friends are envying. The bully claims he has a psychological need to own Greenland, which he avows would do things for him that a lease or treaty cannot. No doubt that includes lining his own pockets with the cybercurrency bribes he hopes to get from those seeking mining or other rights. And his push for Greenland is endangering NATO, a primary objective of his pal Russian President Putin.

Don’t rely on Republicans

Many Republicans in Congress are uncomfortable with the threat of military action:

But their record of resistance to Trump is minimal. Senator Murkowski has consistently disappointed. Besides, military action is not the only option. Coercive diplomacy, including hard cash for Greenlanders, is more likely.

The only way to fight that is to hit the US hard in the pocket book. The US Treasury weapon should not be just newspaper speculation. The EU, Canada, and other like-minded countries need to make real plans that will convince stalwart MAGAtes like Treasury Secretary Bessent that the costs will be astronomical.

A nightmare scenario

The Russians are enjoying the consequences of Trump’s bid for Greenland. The quarrel with the Europeans and Canadians inside NATO threatens to destroy the Alliance.

All Russia would need to do now to make things worse is send a military ship to Greenland, thus helping Trump to make his point about US security. Never mind that Greenland is not even mentioned in the recently published National Security Strategy.

Trump is hurting American security in the Arctic. He wouldn’t know a threat to national security if it fell on the White House.