The term gangster state was popular with the media in the 1930’s. It was usually deployed against Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Nearly a century later, it applies to Trump’s America. His administration is an extortion racket whose only goal is imposing its will on everyone and everything in sight.
The Insult Comedian’s tactics have backfired. This divisive figure has united his opponents, adversaries, and enemies in outrage and annoyance over his Greenland fixation. He’s trying to wear them down with his ridiculous demands. Giving in to this grift would be a huge mistake. This is 21st Century Europe’s Rhineland moment. That’s when the Great War allies could have stopped Hitler, but they blinked.
Repeat after me: Appeasement never works.
Do I think Trump’s Greenland fever dream will ever be realized? I think there’s a 10-15% chance that he’ll make a move. The odds are only that high because the Kaiser of Chaos is an idiot surrounded by sycophants.
Repeat after me: Yes men never say no.
Our NATO allies are right to stand up to this demented bully. They’re sending troops to Greenland to guard the ice. While I think invasion or annexation is unlikely, the scenario sketched out by my countryman, Tom Nichols is chilling. The headline says it all: Trump Is Risking A Global Catastrophe.
One reason that the Trumpian focus has shifted to buying instead of invading Greenland is underdiscussed. I do not believe the military would obey orders to attack a NATO ally. The Kaiser of Chaos may hate NATO, but our generals and admirals understand its importance. This understanding is the only brake on Trump’s desire to break everything. It’s Quo Vadis On The Potomac all over again. The mythic Nero had a lyre; Donald Trump is a liar. Both wanted to burn everything down.
I remain convinced that the Greenland gambit is the ultimate distraction. It’s an easy story to cover, so the media has taken the bait. Thinking for yourself is hard work, something many in the American media shy away from. Give them a tweet or a press release and they’re happy.
Supporting my distraction theory is who the Don of Distraction named as his special envoy to Greenland: The Clownfish DBA Jeff Landry. The Gret Stet governor is temperamentally and experientially unqualified for a diplomatic mission. For one thing, he’s almost as big an asshole as Trump. For another, Landry is a provincial figure who knows little of the world outside the Gret Stet Of Louisiana. I would put Landry on a slow pirogue to Greenland and hope it hits an iceberg.
Making matters even more bizarre is the linkage between the Nobel Peace Prize and the Greenland gambit. This message to Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre is simultaneously pathetic and sinister:
Dear Jonas:
Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only a boat that landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT”
None of that is true. The Norwegian government controls neither the Nobel Prize committee nor Denmark. There’s a distinct possibility that Trump doesn’t know that Norway and Denmark are separate, sovereign nations. Sovereignty means nothing to this wannabe imperialist dictator.
Trump’s Greenlandic tantrum is a stress test for the international structure built by the United States after World War II. It’s far from perfect but it has kept the peace in Europe since 1945. Russia challenged this order with its invasion of Ukraine. Putin wants to reset the Wayback Machine to the late 19th Century when great power rivalries, kings, kaisers, and tsars were the order of the day. Putin is a happy man right now as he watches an American President attempt to destroy NATO and the European Union. The Europeans should just say no to Trump and his yes men.
Repeat after me: Appeasement never works.
The last word goes to Michael Sembello with a tune from the movie Gremlins. Just change MEGA to MAGA and Bob’s your uncle.