The Thinking ‘Kat: Tyrants gonna Tyrant…
It seems the Tangerine Toddler is stamping his foot and whinging all the more about Greenland. Trump has announced tariffs against a host of countries, unless Greenland is sold to the USA. Somehow the will of the citizens of Greenland is completely irrelevant to Trump, and the small detail that Greenland is a province of a NATO ally is also irrelevant. Trump would rather wage a damaging trade war than make arrangements with Denmark to mine the resources he wants, and he does not desire to honour long-standing allegiances that have kept the world safe.
The tariffs are among the most ridiculous aspect of this. They do nothing to benefit anyone. They are means of economic warfare that will adversely affect everyone, but in particular the poorest elements of society. Americans do not benefit from tariffs. The peoples of the allies Trump has targeted do not benefit from tariffs. It is all utterly absurd, and it also undermines these valuable alliances.
Weakening NATO for the sake of a childish tantrum strengthens Russian and Chinese interests (Russia and China being the excuses Trump wields over Greenland). If Russia tried to take Greenland tomorrow, Denmark could invoke Article 5 of the NATO treaty, and every NATO country would act to stop any such move. Mind you, given how Trump is chummy with Putin, can we be certain of US involvement, or would he huff, and refuse to honour long-standing alliegencies for the sake of being petty?
Pettiness is Trump’s modus operandi. Consider his recent letter to the Norweigan Prime Minister:
“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 that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other 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”
The hubris here is off the charts. Trump’s claims to have ended eight wars are dubious. His claims about ownership are deeply ironic when you consider the history of the USA. His arguments about what he has done for NATO are both baseless and incredibly arrogant. His belief that acting in the interests of peace is reliant upon stroking his ego speaks volumes about just how egotistical he is.
It is tempting to pick apart his rant, but would his worshippers be prepared to consider it? Of course not. Trump is their Messiah, and in the eyes of his MAGA cult, he can do no wrong. Never mind that Norway as a country has nothing to do with who wins a Nobel Prize. Never mind that his boat argument would invalidate claims to the USA for all but native Americans. Never mind that he is systematically undermining crucial alliances for global security (and playing into the hands of Russia). Never mind that tariffs are hurting Americans. Nothing Trump does can ever be bad in the eyes of his followers.
When will his worshippers wake up, and realise that what he’s selling is snake oil?
‘Kat Comments