Speaking to reporters less than two weeks before he takes office on Jan. 20 and as a delegation of aides and advisers that includes his son Donald Trump Jr. is in Greenland, Trump left open the use of the American military to secure both territories.

“I’m not going to commit to that,” he 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.

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      67
      ·
      edit-2
      23 hours ago

      It’s all distraction. He just wants his name in the news. Le Pen dying is hogging headlines, President Musk is making waves in Europe, you’ve got Trudeau’s resignation, a Ukranian ace shooting down cruise missiles, and none of it has Trump’s name on it.

      Edit: Oh, the one Trump story is that Jack Smith may release his findings. So maybe that’s it.

    • ggppjj@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      26
      ·
      23 hours ago

      It’s probably easier if we start by listing all the things that aren’t happening today.

    • samus12345@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      20 hours ago

      That brought back bad memories. I remember in his first term everything he said or did was a “distraction” according to reddit.

    • 9point6@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      23 hours ago

      Yeah 100%

      This gets trump assassinated by a three letter organisation

      What’s not making it past the editor’s desk today?

      • ramenshaman@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        21 hours ago

        This gets trump assassinated by a three letter organisation

        Merely the act of reading this gave me a freedom boner

  • MetalMachine@feddit.nl
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    17
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    18 hours ago

    New us territory - Greenland

    51st state - Canada

    52nd state - Mexico

    53rd state - Panama

    54th state - UK

    55th state - ???

    Put it in your bets folks.

  • makyo@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    ·
    18 hours ago

    Aren’t we all used to this by now? Ask him stupid questions and you’re going to get stupid answers.

  • DicJacobus@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    32
    arrow-down
    3
    ·
    edit-2
    21 hours ago

    America’s idea of national security is the same thing as American Hegemony.

    Under these rules, No one is allowed to pose a threat. even their own allies. that’s why the Fascist factions of America are currentley focused on taking Europe and Canada apart, they want subservient puppet states, not Powerful partners and allies. The EU needs to prepare for a future where it is no longer allied to America, this is the multipolar world that Putin talked about ,(although in Putin’s plan, Russia is in control of most of Eurasia, Nuking China too if need be, according to lunatics like Dugin/Ilyn)

    So that being said, Europe basically has two futures, Federalize and Militarize, preparing to treat both America and Russia as Advesaries if need be, or do nothing, and get picked apart by the Fascists, Mafia goons, and megalomaniac tech bros who are trying to infiltrate every level of government by poisoning the elections with filth. Russia is still the enemy of the free world, But part of America is rearing to join them.

    Canada on the other hand, Is looking more and more every day like a future of conflict with an Imperialist America is going to be a reality. Its not a fight we can win, but we will fight regardless. Everybody dies eventually. I’d rather die fighting american fascists and traitor “canadians” than live on my knees. If was was going to die in a conflict, I would have preferred it be against russian fascists rather than my own friends and neighbors of both my own country and the americans. but its all the same. you fight fascists because you must. If they are truly stupid enough to keep pushing this to the end result, they’ll live to severely regret it.

    • treadful@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      21 hours ago

      None of this nonsense is really American foreign policy though. It’s insane rants of our leader.

      I refuse to believe that invading Greenland, Panama, or any of our current allies would be at all acceptable to the rest of the nation. Things can change maybe, but I don’t really see how that would happen right now.

      Except maybe Mexico. I could honestly see a path forward for that one. Which would no doubt be dumb as fuck.

    • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      6
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      20 hours ago

      I told my landlord today that even tho I’ve never held a PAL (possession and acquisition licence), I’m getting one as soon as I have some money.

      I’ll stand on the border somewhere, whether aiming south or north is no matter.

      • ikidd@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        19 hours ago

        Get the restricted, it’s usually just an extra couple hours after the regular PAL training class if you talk to your instructor and pay an extra $50. And go with friends, it’s actually kind of a fun course. I went with my wife and friend just to sit in as I was grandfathered in for the PAL and FAC before that.

  • Gammelfisch@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    17 hours ago

    The Panamanians are investigating the Orange Shit Stain for tax evasion. WTF, I would welcome the Danes and Greenlanders to take over the Blue States.

  • AA5B@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    19 hours ago

    While I understand this is just a distraction ….

    I am somewhat curious how it would play out. As the upcoming Commander-in-Chief, Trump will be in command of all military. He can say “go”. However any officer with any ethical backbone should reply “no”. So, will he get enough sycophants in enough places instead of competent leaders, that he could actually pull shenanigans like this?

    • catloaf@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      19 hours ago

      Legally, only Congress has the right to make war.

      Not that the law has really stopped him so far.

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        5 hours ago

        Commander in chief can legally initiate all sorts of military responses short of war. Even for all out war, commander in chief can legally initiate as long as he brings it before Congress fairly soon.

        On the other hand, military officers “have a duty to refuse illegal orders”

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          5 hours ago

          But it’s also a legitimate trick. I’m pretty sure there was some legislation that the president can take necessary military action as long as he brings it to Congress in like 60 days or something. That lets us react quickly when needed, but supposedly lets Congress continue being the ones to declare war. Obviously there are also many possible levels of military intervention short of war. Of course by the time Congress gets a say and we’ve been at war”not war” for a couple months, you really can’t take that back.

          I blame Congress’s incompetence. While there’s actually some good ideas be hinged this, it’s mainly Congress refusing to act, refusing to act quickly, refusing to define more specifically what is allowed and not. I don’t blame Bush for usurping Congress’s power, I blame Congress for making it possible, and then not caring

        • dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          14
          ·
          18 hours ago

          It’s an old Nixon trick. Actually an old Truman trick, using the US military in un-declared wars started with the Korean conflict, but Nixon and Kissinger really amped things up with their secret war in Cambodia.

        • WindyRebel@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          10
          ·
          edit-2
          18 hours ago

          Special Operation Green Initiative

          Edit: I really fucking hope I’m wrong or the military tells him to go fuck himself if he orders that.

    • DicJacobus@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      23
      arrow-down
      5
      ·
      23 hours ago

      Ww3 already started 3 years ago when russia started shooting at Ukraine.

      People just don’t believe ww3 is anything other than nukes falling. So global conflict with clear lines drawn * withoutb atomic booms . Many people thibk is just bauiness as usual

      *(until America decides to switch sides that is).

      • hobovision@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        11
        ·
        21 hours ago

        It’s just the second cold war. You’ll know WW3 started when NATO invokes Article 5. Until then, it’s all just proxies.

        In the first cold war there were proxy wars in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc. Now it’s Ukraine and Israel/Syria/Lebanon.

        • Axiochus@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          4 hours ago

          I’d say that a proxy war that penetrates onto Russian territory (Kursk Oblast) and borders EU countries is a little hotter than Afghanistan.

          • hobovision@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            10
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            20 hours ago

            I’m soooo sorry I didn’t specify that it would need to be invoked against a significant nation-state and that a concept like terrorism doesn’t count. I understand that could be very confusing otherwise.

      • TimeSquirrel@kbin.melroy.org
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        22 hours ago

        Then according to that logic all of the Cold War was WW3 because at this point it’s still just a couple of proxy wars going on. No great/super powers are in direct conflict with each other.

        Call me when China and Russia decide to team up and attack Boston.

        • DicJacobus@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          4
          ·
          21 hours ago

          we are essentially fighting the same conflict as world war 2. the only difference is people forget WW2 wasn’t a 2 way conflict, it was a 3 way one.

          Democratic Allies, Vs Fascist Axis, Vs Communist Comintern

          the only thing that’s changed in 80 years is the second and third teams more or less merged into one.

  • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    14
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    24 hours ago

    He never rules out anything. It’s how he stays in the headlines and looks “thoughtful”. It masks the fact that he has no fucking clue what he will do.

  • EvilCartyen@feddit.dk
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    23 hours ago

    Great way to dismantle NATO, I guess.

    Also, this has nothing to do with security like was the message some days ago. The US has almost free access to Greenland as it is. This if a mineral grab.

    • ArtieShaw@fedia.io
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      21 hours ago

      Exactly. The warming arctic means that countries bordering that part of the world are becoming much more available and much more valuable. So… Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark (via Greenland), and the US (via Alaska) now have lands that need to be exploited or defended. Apparently the US has decided that Alaska isn’t enough.

      • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOP
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        20 hours ago

        Don’t forget Alberta’s oilsands and the Trans Mountain pipeline, both which would help America stay off foreign oil.