I find the image of Danish special forces raiding the White House and capturing Trump quite appealing.
I think their odds would be better with White House Two. Closer to the water.
Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow at Defense Priorities said, “This sort of spectacular operation is very consistent. He likes to hit adversaries that can’t hit back, whether it’s small drug-smuggling boats, or Iran with no air defenses, or Venezuela, which is also weak,” she said. “And to me, that explains the more accommodating approach to Russia and China, in the sense that his view of military power is kind of go big or go home. But that model doesn’t work against Russia and China.”
“It just seems to be back to the 18th and 19th centuries,” said Fiona Hill, an expert at the Brookings Institution who was Trump’s top Russia adviser in his first term. “If you’ve bought into the idea of competition among the great powers and that Russia is another great power that’s inevitably going to dominate in its region, just as China is in its region, then this is the logical conclusion from this?”
Hill said countries that have deep, allied ties to the United States but are threatened by Trump may seek to protect themselves by building trade and security relationships elsewhere, a move that will ultimately weaken Washington, not strengthen it.
The raid has sparked fears elsewhere that Trump could act on other threats toward U.S. neighbors, which have included demands to take over the Panama Canal, to turn Canada into the 51st state, to annex Greenland and to overthrow Cuba’s government.
Trump on Sunday said he didn’t plan action against Havana, but offered tough language nevertheless, and He (Trump, not America) was sharper toward Greenland. U.S. President
Donald Trump renewed his calls for an American takeover of
Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests after
a military operation captured Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro.
The president’s repeated statements about Greenland drew a sharp response earlier Sunday from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. “I have to say this very directly to the United States: It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland,” she said.
In a statement, she said Denmark is a U.S. military ally and that the United States has extensive access to Greenland. “I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale,” she said.
'We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
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Trump’s intention to oversee the governance of
Venezuela has rekindled concerns in Denmark that Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, might face a similar scenario.
“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump
told reporters on Sunday as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.
“You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It’s true. They thought that was a great move.”
(Denmark actually earmarked $4.2 billion of extra defence spending in 2025 to increase security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, including Greenland. An additional $4.5 billion was set to be spent on 16 more F-35 fighter jets from the U.S.,
reports the BBC.)
Asked during an interview with
The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S. military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.”
“We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence,” Trump added. The U.S. consistently leads global military spending, accounting for nearly 40% of the world's total defense expenditure.
“Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation do not belong anywhere between friends,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen
said on Facebook on Sunday. “That’s not how you talk to people who have repeatedly shown responsibility, stability and loyalty.
“Enough is enough. No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation.”
Trump has made numerous threats against other nations in Washington's orbit.
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