What Trump Said This Morning
[guest post by Dana]
At his press conference this morning, President-elect Trump promised ”a Golden age of America”. Apparently, he intends that the following be a part of that promise:
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he declared U.S. control of both to be vital to American national security.
“I’m not going to commit to that,” Trump said, when asked if he would rule out the use of the military. “It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country.” He added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes.” Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally and a founding member of NATO.
Funny thing for him to say, considering he said this upon winning the election:
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s plans for the world are blunt and clear — up to a point:
No new live or proxy conflicts for an isolationist leader who wants to put America first.
“I’m going to stop wars,” he said in his victory speech.
And then there is this:
Trump: "We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America."
(He's serious.) pic.twitter.com/qHB7A7aqzm
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 7, 2025
And finally, once again confirming his status as Putin’s stooge, Trump made a disgusting accusation, blaming the United States and not Russia for RUSSIA’S UNPROVOKED INVASION OF UKRAINE:
… U.S. President-elect Donald Trump blamed President Joe Biden for provoking Russia’s full-scale invasion by supporting Ukraine’s NATO membership aspirations.
Trump argued that Ukraine’s potential NATO membership has long been a major concern for Moscow. “That’s been like written in stone. And Biden said, ‘No, they should be able to join NATO.’ Then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep. I could understand their [Russia’s] feelings about that.”
A report by The Wall Street Journal has previously suggested that Trump’s team was exploring a plan to delay Ukraine’s NATO membership by at least 20 years in exchange for Western arms supplies and European peacekeepers to monitor a potential ceasefire with Russia.
This is a disgraceful and infuriating thing for an incoming US president to say. Why, it’s nearly traitorous. Why does he blame the nation that he is going to lead for the reprehensible decision that a vile, murderous leader made to unlawfully invade a sovereign nation? Surely Putin has something on Trump, or, our next Commander in Chief is absolutely clueless about the reality of Putin and Russia. Yet when one considers his admiration for strong men (and he sees himself as one), then of course he’s going to blame some other entity for provoking the war. For the United States to delay Ukraine’s membership in NATO for 20 years would be an awful move. Surely it would tarnish our standing in the world and hurt our relationships with ally nations. Rightfully so. As it has been said a multitude of times before: appeasing a thug like Putin, does not work. Period
At this point, who knows how much stock to put in to anything that Trump says. He is a compulsive, liar, so whether this is just more blather or if maybe something to take seriously, we’ll have to wait and see. What is important to remember, however, is that Trump will have a Senate and House majority when he takes office in two weeks.
: “I am hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA,'” said President-elect Trump in a Truth Social post featuring video of an unidentified man wearing a “Make America great again” hat saying he wants the U.S. to “buy us, buy Greenland.”
“My son, Don Jr, and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights,” Trump added.
“Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”
Hello.
Dana (4d0d9d) — 1/7/2025 @ 12:25 pmHe will have retconned all this by the 20th and be embarked on some new fantasy.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 12:47 pmTrump was elected to fix domestic policy, not engage in more foreign adventurism. Immigration, federal and federal-state restructuring, energy policy and dialing back progressive manipulation of the society.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 12:50 pmOh, yeah, trade issues and unwinding the Nude Green Eel. War with Denmark was WAY down on everyone’s agenda.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 12:52 pmLOL! So sue him for false promises.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:00 pmAt least Denmark is a country the US can easily defeat.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:06 pmTrump’s dishonesty on Russia and NATO matches Putin’s dishonesty on the subject.
Putin has been falsely using NATO as an excuse to invade, because the chances of Ukraine joining were slim to none before his 2022 invasion, and neither NATO nor Ukraine ever threatened Russian borders. Meantime, Putin not only threatened to take, he took.
Also, how does it work that Ukraine can join this alliance when two of its regions remain under Russian occupation?
Also, how is it possible that Ukraine can enter the alliance (assuming they eventually meet all NATO criteria) when there are Putin-licking lackeys like Orban who will never vote for Ukraine’s entry? And Orban isn’t the only one who would vote “nay”.
Putin’s other lies are that NATO is a threat to Russia, despite their always being a defensive alliance against Russia, and his lies that we made promises about the alliance not expanding eastward (we made no such promises, per Gorbachev himself).
It’s basically lies all the way down from the Kremlin propaganda machine.
Paul Montagu (7329e4) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:14 pmOh, and Trump kept talking about Democrat warmongers and neocon warmongers during the campaign, yet he’s been warmongering about Canada, Greenland, Mexico and Panama, and his unwavering devoted faithful will just go right along.
Paul Montagu (7329e4) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:16 pmFor those reaching for a xanax, he didn’t say he was going to do it: he said he would not rule it out.
What sensible person woudl rule it out?
If China, as it ramps up its presence in the Americas, made a move directly (or via a proxy like Cuba) to seize the Canal, or bar US shipping; or if Russia sent troops to occupy Greenland, or to threaten it, the US might well occupy both. Its silly to “rule out” options. Best to draw a line now–a real line not an Obama line. Only professors, journalists, writers for Foreign Affairs and the LA Times think that posturing about what you “rule out” is moral.
This is also a shot accross the bow for China and Russia- – not only as to those two places but as to the Arctic, where Russia has more icebreakers than we do.
Sorry xanax gulpers, the days of “if its only an incursion” are gone.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:21 pmOver at DU they have a video of general jack d. ripper explaining trump’s views.
asset (e48142) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:24 pmWhat sensible person would rule it out?
It’s been said that we have a war plan for everything, including invading Canada. It would play hell with NATO though.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:26 pmOver at DU they have a video of general jack d. ripper explaining trump’s views.
I have no doubt. I’m sure it’s a real sophomoric yukfest, too.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:28 pmWhat I don’t get is that he’s not been talking about war with Mexico. Last time we conquered the whole thing, had to give most of it back, and made the Civil War inevitable.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:30 pmIf either the Chinese or Russians attack Greenland, Denmark has the full force of NATO behind it under Article 5. The United States might object, however.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:31 pmTrump (along with most of his primary opponents) favored using military force against the cartels in Mexico, which would be an act of war, and would have all sorts of blowback effects. I have no doubt the cartels, in retaliation, would bring the same assassinations, bombings, and kidnappings that occur in Mexico to the United States.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:51 pmhttps://nypost.com/2025/01/06/opinion/why-we-must-expose-the-criminal-fraud-of-those-behind-bidens-presidency/
Those who enabled the outgoing presidency of error are named and shamed.
NJRob (c9b2e0) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:56 pmThe real question is what responsible leader of the world’s oldest and most successful democracy would rule it in?
None of those nations Trump named are a military threat to the United States, and both Greenland and Canada are our allies via NATO. It would violate international law to physically force another nation to come under our control, putting us in the same league as a fascist like Putin.
The classic thing about this is that all of the countries Trump named are free nations (except Mexico, which is partly free) with free or moderately free economies. None of them facing this American imperialism would be actually liberated, because they’re already free, especially Canada and Greenland, which both score higher than the US in political and economic freedom.
This talk is nuts, pushed by an increasingly senescent nut.
Paul Montagu (7329e4) — 1/7/2025 @ 1:58 pmThe last time the US conducted a punitive expedition into Mexico, to capture Pancho Villa following his attack on Columbus, NM “with the single objective of capturing him and putting a stop to his forays” ended in abject failure.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/7/2025 @ 2:05 pmI have no doubt the cartels, in retaliation, would bring the same assassinations, bombings, and kidnappings that occur in Mexico to the United States.
Then the gloves would come off and we would kill them all.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 2:25 pm14 “The full force of NATO…” Since the Bundeswher lacks enough operational fighters, the french lack the will, and the Poles lack the numbers, pardon me if I smile at the idea of “the full force of NATO” protecting anyone. Maybe 40 years ago, but now, absent the US, its a bunch of offices in Brussles.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 1/7/2025 @ 2:27 pm“with the single objective of capturing him and putting a stop to his forays” ended in abject failure.
We didn’t have helicopter gunships then. If the cartels were to bring the war to the US, we would bring all Hell.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 2:27 pmIf either the Chinese or Russians attack Greenland, Denmark has the full force of NATO behind it under Article 5.
China is very active in Greenland.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 2:28 pm17 Paul- With a few tweaks, its really a latter day dusting off on the Monroe doctrine, which was a sensible and accepted part of US policy for over 100 years.
The idea isn’t to take them: it is that if someone muscles in on the Canal or Greenland, we aren’t going to stand by and watch.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 1/7/2025 @ 2:29 pmHFM, the Monroe Doctrine was about non western hemisphere powers not taking control of western hemisphere states. Canada and Panama and Mexico are sovereign independent nations, and Trump is actually threatening their sovereignty. It’s veritably Putinesque, fascistically so.
Greenland has always been part of Europe, under Denmark’s jurisdiction since 1721, before the US came to be, and well before the Monroe Doctrine.
Paul Montagu (7329e4) — 1/7/2025 @ 2:39 pmAs I have pointed out, the US made a serious attempt to buy Greenland and Finland in 1868, but the administration changed and they ran out of time. Harry Truman wanted to annex Greenland as well after our experiences in WW2 with North Atlantic shipping.
Just because Trump favors something does not make it stupid. I think he’d have a tough time getting an AUMF to attack Denmark though.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 3:31 pmPaul, I think you misread #23
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 3:32 pmThen again, I think that you correctly heard Mr Trump.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 3:43 pmWell, the Loser’s main foreign policy “success” in his first term was surrendering to the Taliban.
Jim Miller (8ebda6) — 1/7/2025 @ 3:46 pm28-aside from not encouraging or suffering a european war or a war in the ME, aside from trying to crack the wall around the No Ko leader and bring him into some ambit of civilization, -which no one else had tried.
Aside from reminding NATO “powers” that they had better start acting like allies and not moochers, and beeef up their military budgets,
I mean aside from that–the decision to bail on Afghanistan was a prudent one. 20 years and it was still a hellhole. (and I have yet to see any keyboard warrior (not that I am suggesting that you are that) volunterring to go there and fight). It was the execution of the departure than was a disaster.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 1/7/2025 @ 4:37 pm@harcourt@20 As probably the only person on this site who has been inside the NATO military headquarters bunker (maybe even the only person to have stepped foot on a NATO base?): Um, no.
Nic (120c94) — 1/7/2025 @ 4:41 pmYou can’t easily tell what Trump believes and does not believe.
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 1/7/2025 @ 4:43 pmWhat about the Persian Gulf? Or the state of “New Mexico”
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 1/7/2025 @ 4:44 pmTrump says dumb things. Democrats do dumb things. Appreciate the difference.
lloyd (8e04af) — 1/7/2025 @ 4:45 pmOnly if you can find them.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/7/2025 @ 4:49 pmAn AUMF is a nicety. Trump could deploy forces to Greenland (or Mexico, or the Panama Canal) and a) dare Congress to impeach him; and b) dare Congress to cut funding the troops.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 1/7/2025 @ 5:04 pm30, Nic- – Nice riposte for a college debate, but data and facts help.
Were you last on a NATO base in 1980? Things have changed!
Try these!
An Examination of the Truly Dire State of Germany’s Military, Spiegel
https://www.spiegel.de › International › Germany;
https://thedefensepost.com/2024/03/14/german-military-aging-shrinking/
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 1/7/2025 @ 5:13 pmOnly if you can find them.
It would be like Israelis in Gaza. Precision not all that great.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 6:12 pmdare Congress to impeach him
Don’t want to go to that well a lot.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/7/2025 @ 6:12 pm@harcourt@36 After 1980. I can look at the base from overhead on google earth and see where the facilities have expanded, as well. (you can’t “drive by” on google street view, which I’d think would be less of a security risk, but I guess if you don’t know what you are looking at, you can’t really tell from google earth.)
Nic (120c94) — 1/7/2025 @ 6:24 pmThere is an irony here that this site does not grasp.
About Donald Trump: He talks too much, thinks out loud, makes unforced errors, says stupid things into an open microphone. The irony is Patterico.com has supported (often with enthusiasm) a politician with the same basic characteristics. The American public figure who most resembles Donald Trump is the outgoing president, Joe Biden.
For 50 years Biden has been been saying stupid things. He was a blabbermouth when younger. When he made his first run for the 1988 nomination he claimed to have been at the top of his law school class and on an academic scholarship. Both false. Biden made a humiliating withdrawal after plagiarizing a speech by the head of the British Labor party. He was a national laughingstock.
And Biden still shows these tendencies, saying something stupid in particular. As for his commuting the death sentences of 37 vicious murderers, he isn’t “morally opposed to capital punishment.” Biden let the three most publicized death sentences stand. If he had done it out of “principle,” he would have commuted those as well. Just like a typical leftist.
By the way, I DETEST DONALD TRUMP.
DN (97bdb2) — 1/8/2025 @ 8:13 am39, Nic: relieved to hear that a NATO base has “expanded” since 1980. That at least provides room to store Germany’s inoperable Typhoon fighters, the EU’s files on the EU “Rapid Reaction Force” promised in 2000-2017 but yet to materialize, Germany’s grand total of 310 Leapord II Main Battle Tanks (down from 3100 in the past) (I think that’s about a 90% fall off but at least the base is bigger), and the sharp looking berets and uniforms the EU people use in parades.
Harcourt Fenton Mudd (0c349e) — 1/8/2025 @ 1:15 pmDN (97bdb2) — 1/8/2025 @ 8:13 am
DN, I doubt our host supports any of those things that Biden did. I think he considered Biden the lesser of two evils. Is it wrong to express a clear preference for the lesser evil?
norcal (a72384) — 1/8/2025 @ 1:33 pmnorcal,
When did Patterico.com’s hosts ever denounce or even distance themselves from “things that Biden did?” Such as bringing in untold millions of illegals? They gave every indication of approving in general Biden’s actions as president.
Trump, of course, is obsessed with what he thinks is his own magnificence, but he won due to Biden’s unpopularity. A lot of people voted against Biden not because Trump was the lesser evil, but because Biden was the greater evil.
Again, I LOATHE TRUMP. But Biden is the worst in my lifetime.
DN (97bdb2) — 1/8/2025 @ 2:37 pmDN, I am reasonably sure that when Trump deports every criminal illegal that he can get his hands on, Patterico will be generally approving (although he may quibble about methods). He has, in the past, said “deport the criminals first.”
What you don’t seem to get is that he and a few others here base most of their analysis on J6. That any person who attempts to overturn an election that they clearly lost is — regardless of anything else — a clear and present danger. The rest of their misgivings could possibly be overcome, but not that one. It’s not about policy at all. So long as the opponent is not ALSO a clear and present danger to our system of government, the choice is not hard.
I disagree with this, at least in degree, and can find enough bad about the Biden/Harris agenda to see a different but clear danger. But I also understand why they feel as they do. If Trump had been sent to prison for J6 and some other candidate had faced Harris, I would be a lot happier.
YMMV.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/8/2025 @ 2:48 pmnorcal,
When did Patterico.com’s hosts ever denounce or even distance themselves from “things that Biden did?” Such as bringing in untold millions of illegals? They gave every indication of approving in general Biden’s actions as president.
DN (97bdb2) — 1/8/2025 @ 2:37 pm
I don’t have the time or the search skills to look it up, but I’ve been on this blog for many years. I’m sure at least one of them (and probably more) has denounced Biden’s handling of immigration.
norcal (a72384) — 1/8/2025 @ 3:09 pmBack in the 60’s, Fletcher Knebel (co-author of Seven Days in May) wrote a political thriller called “Night of Camp David” about a Congressman the popular President is grooming for VP in his next term. As they discuss the upcoming term, the President starts talking about annexing Europe and other things the prospective VP finds troubling. Luckily, we are now past the point where such things sound strange.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/8/2025 @ 6:19 pmAt least Trump hasn’t talked about renaming the country to Oceania.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/8/2025 @ 6:20 pmI will point out that midway through Trump’s first term I noticed a comment by Patterico in which he approved of Trump’s emphasis on border security and his judicial nominations, only time I recall him doing so.
DN (97bdb2) — 1/8/2025 @ 9:44 pmYes. I remember Patterico saying he liked Trump’s Supreme Court nominees, DN.
I’d be surprised if Trump nominates similar people this term. I fear he will prioritize personal loyalty to Constitutional fidelity.
norcal (a72384) — 1/8/2025 @ 10:38 pmPatterico was resigned to the Trump presidency (as was I) and finding whatever nuggets he could. But J6 utterly ended his tolerance and I strongly doubt he will have anything but the most grudging agreement with any Trump action.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 1/8/2025 @ 10:44 pmthat was in 1946, before the establishment of NATO in 1949.
Sammy Finkelman (c2c77e) — 1/9/2025 @ 1:05 pm