Thoughts on the Trump presidency

[Strathclyder]

The parallels with Russia / Ukraine are starting to show.

He has moved ICE into the city in order to stoke unrest. When the populace eventually break and fight back he will move the National Guard (or active duty troops) in to "quell the insurrection". The Mayor and Governor will, naturally, object and insist that he has to remove the guard and ICE, but he will counter that he can't remove the guard because they're there to protect the otherwise peaceful population from violent insurrectionists.

In both Russia/Ukraine and the upcoming USA/Minnesota conflict the simple solution - withdrawing the invading force - will not be taken.

Absolutely. It seems fairly clear to me now that the goal of ICE violence is to eventually lead to a violent response from the occupied population allowing them to escalate the violence and, ideally, use the Insurrection Act to move in active duty troops. The obvious hope is to inflame the situation in Blue states and cities that they can try and interfere directly with their elections ("It's not possible to accept those elected by Minnesota, because the state is in insurrection against the lawful government of the United States. Until peace and order is restored it wouldn't be appropriate to allow those members to sit in Congress" etc etc).

All completely illegal and unconstitutional of course but when Congress is supine and the Supreme Court in your back pocket who is going to stop you?

Precisely what I said above, but far more eloquently. It's kind of like an arsonist who set the house on fire coming back dressed as a fireman claiming to be the saviour of the people he directly endangered.

It's all by design and the simple course of action won't be taken simply because this is what they want and have always wanted.

 

[najaB]

And on to the next stage:

WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces in Minnesota after days of angry protests over a surge in immigration agents on the streets of Minneapolis.
Trump, a Republican, has been deriding the state's Democratic leaders and has called the Somali community in the area "garbage."

"If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don't obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT," Trump wrote on social media, using an acronym for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-threatens-use-insurrection-act-minnesota-2026-01-15/

 

[GusB]

Meanwhile, Greenland has become host to Operation Arctic Endurance.

European military personnel arrive in Greenland as Trump says US needs island

France says a small military contingent has arrived and more forces will be there in the coming days.

www.bbc.co.uk

A 15-strong French military contingent has arrived in Greenland's capital Nuuk, as several European states send soldiers there as part of a so-called reconnaissance mission.

The deployment, which will also include personnel from Germany, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK, comes as US President Donald Trump continues to press his claim to the Arctic island, which is a semi-autonomous part of Denmark.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the initial contingent would be reinforced soon with "land, air, and sea assets".

Senior diplomat Olivier Poivre d'Arvor saw the mission as sending a strong political signal: "This is a first exercise... we'll show the US that Nato is present."

The movement of military personnel comes after Denmark and Greenland's foreign ministers travelled to Washington for a meeting with US Vice-President JD Vance on Wednesday.

Following the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said while the talks were constructive, there remained a "fundamental disagreement" between the two sides and later criticised Trump's bid to buy Greenland.

 

[ainsworth74]

Meanwhile, Greenland has become host to Operation Arctic Endurance.

European military personnel arrive in Greenland as Trump says US needs island

France says a small military contingent has arrived and more forces will be there in the coming days.

www.bbc.co.uk

I've been enjoying all the jokes around us sending one man to Greenland in support of this operation

 

[martin butler]

Trump. and his enablers will want to stoke up an armed uprising in order to destroy the rule of law and order, and its largely dependent on the military siding with trump, If they don't, its a very high risk exercise, because no semi trained ICE force, will stand for very long, against trained military,and if they side with law and order, its game over, not just for Trump, but for the entire republican movement, Trum will of course flee leaving others to take the can.

 

[najaB]

The whole "We need Greenland for US national security" claim falls flat on its face when you consider that under the current US/Denmark treaties there is absolutely nothing stopping the US from increasing the complement of Pituffik Space Base back up to the 10,000+ who were stationed at Thule Air Force Base at its peak (Greenland's population is only c. 60,000).

 

[Bletchleyite]

The whole "We need Greenland for US national security" claim falls flat on its face when you consider that under the current US/Denmark treaties there is absolutely nothing stopping the US from increasing the complement of Pituffik Space Base back up to the 10,000+ who were stationed at Thule Air Force Base at its peak (Greenland's population is only c. 60,000).

Agreed, it makes absolutely no sense. This is, as per just about every war in which the United States of America has ever engaged, entirely about natural resources and empire building.

 

[martin butler]

Agreed, it makes absolutely no sense. This is, as per just about every war in which the United States of America has ever engaged, entirely about natural resources and empire building.

I don't think it's about empire building, it's about personal greed and should they do it, it will backfire compleatly, It will see the US isolated, and loose any power it may have over world affairs, Nato would just reform, but in its place will be an more hawkish organisation of mostly european states, who won't put up with Putin's threats and will become active partners with Ukraine, the US would loose all bases, all arms orders and all power.

 

[najaB]

Interesting noises from the GOP:

A GOP lawmaker said he’d consider supporting an impeachment of President Donald Trump if he launches a U.S. invasion of Greenland and called his push to acquire the territory “utter buffoonery,” according to a new report.

Representative Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska who is not seeking reelection, told the Omaha World-Herald this week that he would strongly consider supporting a Greenland-related impeachment of Trump.

"I don't want to give you a definite yes or no, but I would lean that way. It would be a total mistake to invade an ally. It would be catastrophic to our allies and everything. It's just the worst idea ever in my view,” Bacon said.

Republican says he would ‘lean toward’ impeaching Trump if he invades Greenland

Just 17 percent of Americans support Trump’s push to acquire Greenland

www.independent.co.uk

It's not that long ago that a Republican - even one not seeking re-election - saying something like that would have been unthinkable.

 

[Sorcerer]

Much of the US military's global dominance and logistics network stems from being centred on choke points such as trade routes and production centres. So as the ice recedes on Greenland they will not only get access to the various natural resources but also some of the new trade routes that will open as the Arctic Ocean thaws. Geographically Russia will have the biggest access to these new routes whereas the US will only have Alaska.

So when the US says "national security" there is some kernel of truth to it by not leaving them open to rival superpowers. But for any transfer of territory I believe it should be done with the consent of all parties involved, and as I've mentioned before the Trump Administration seems to forget that American hegemony is built just as much on having a network of allies and goodwill as it is having the biggest military budget and most powerful weapons.

 

[najaB]

But for any transfer of territory I believe it should be done with the consent of all parties involved, and as I've mentioned before the Trump Administration seems to forget that American hegemony is built just as much on having a network of allies and goodwill as it is having the biggest military budget and most powerful weapons.

As above, there's no need for a transfer of anything. The USA used to have over 10,000 troops in Greenland and could do so again without having to negotiate anything.

 

[Sorcerer]

As above, there's no need for a transfer of anything. The USA used to have over 10,000 troops in Greenland and could do so again without having to negotiate anything.

I don't really disagree with you on this, I was merely speaking in terms of hypotheticals if ever there was to be a transfer of territory. There doesn't need to be one, but if it were to happen a buyout or mutual agreement would be much more preferable compared to military annexation that would hurt US national security far more than simply not occupying already allied territory.

 

[Annetts key]

The whole "We need Greenland for US national security" claim falls flat on its face when you consider that under the current US/Denmark treaties there is absolutely nothing stopping the US from increasing the complement of Pituffik Space Base back up to the 10,000+ who were stationed at Thule Air Force Base at its peak (Greenland's population is only c. 60,000).

My understanding is that the U.S. had at least ten bases with the number of personnel in the order of 15000 at the height of the cold war. Currently they have just Pituffik Space Base with around 150 personnel. America reduced their presence not because of any pressure from Denmark, but because they wanted to save money. The U.S.S.R. had fallen and Russia was not seen as a threat.

Trump who claims that global warming / climate change is fake, is really taking the biscuit. Even with the temperatures in the region rising slightly, it will take many, many years before it becomes economic to extract so called "rare earth" or other minerals from the land. Or for normal ships to use the waters to the north of Greenland. Trump will either be dead or out of office before he can make any money from Greenland.

And the U.S. doesn’t even have enough ice breakers to maintain any potential routes at the moment. The Russians have a much larger fleet of ice breakers and struggle to keep their own northern shipping routes open.

So yes, it's got absolutely nothing to do with American security. It's about greed and wanting to make America bigger. Trump presumably wants to be remembered as the man that made America greater. That may also be why he wants to "own" Greenland.

 

[jon0844]

I don't think it's about empire building, it's about personal greed and should they do it, it will backfire compleatly, It will see the US isolated, and loose any power it may have over world affairs, Nato would just reform, but in its place will be an more hawkish organisation of mostly european states, who won't put up with Putin's threats and will become active partners with Ukraine, the US would loose all bases, all arms orders and all power.

I assume that some of the American people/firms that have invested in businesses/operations in Greenland (or bought them) were also donors to the GOP or Trump directly, and maybe they expected something in return (shock horror!). It's like the potential for US contractors to profit big in the rebuilding of Gaza, and just about everywhere else USA has been involved in over the past decades.

Simply putting more troops on the ground, as per the existing arrangement, isn't enough because Trump likely has to do more to appease the rich oligarchs who can probably bring Trump down a peg or two if they so desired (and likely will when it does eventually all go wrong and everyone runs away).

 

[GusB]

Trump has his Nobel Peace Prize.

Machado presents Trump with her Nobel award at White House meeting

Trump thanked Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, calling it "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect".

www.bbc.co.uk

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado says that she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at a private White House meeting on Thursday.
"I think today is a historic day for us Venezuelans," she said after meeting Trump, the first time the two have met in-person. It came weeks after US forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and charged him in a drug-trafficking case.
Trump expressed his gratitude in a social media post, saying the move was "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect".
The US president has declined to endorse Machado, whose movement claimed victory in 2024's widely contested elections, as Venezuela's new leader.
Trump has instead been dealing with the acting head of state in Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice-president.
But he said meeting Machado was a "great honor", calling her a "wonderful woman who has been through so much".

 

[Harpo]

Trump has his Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump has another person’s Nobel Peace Prize.

 

[GusB]

Trump has another person’s Nobel Peace Prize.

Yer, but... in his mind he has a Nobel Peace Prize.

 

[jon0844]

A statement has been made by the committee to point out that while he may have the prize, that's all he has. It will never be his, he's just in possession of it.

That's going to hurt because he can't change that fact.

 

[Cdd89]

Nobel peace prizes are definitely bearer instruments

 

[martin butler]

So Now that Trumps got the medal, I suppose he will be boasting on truth social, that a great injustice has finally been righted,
I can just picture him, Golem like sat in his playpen, holding it going my precious

 

[jon0844]

So Now that Trumps got the medal, I suppose he will be boasting on truth social, that a great injustice has finally been righted,
I can just picture him, Golem like sat in his playpen, holding it going my precious

He can do what he likes, but it's been made clear it isn't his and never will be his. That's going to be incredibly frustrating for him and that makes me happy.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Pathetic. The giving and recieving of the novel peace prize that is.

 

[DelW]

Don't forget that he does have form for helping himself to other people's awards:

Trump Seen Quietly Pocketing FIFA Medal After Revealing That White House Also Kept Club World Cup Trophy

President Trump courted controversy at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, photobombing the winning team, pocketing a medal and bragging that he had the real championship trophy

people.com

• President Donald Trump was seen pocketing one of the championship medals at the FIFA Club World Cup over the weekend
• After handing out the awards to winning club Chelsea, the president also crashed their championship photo, drawing ire from soccer fans
• Trump also boasted during a mid-game interview that the winning team would get a replica of the championship trophy because he had the real one on display in the White House

Each time he gets away with, because no-one will stand up to his infantile behaviour.

 

[dgl]

I can see Trump now thinking of all the awards he can acquire and then say "I got all these great awards, no one else has as many awards as me, I must be really special, sleepy Joe hasn't got as many, neither has any other president" and then either have them re-engraved or faked certificates made up so it looks like their his.
Can't someone get him one from Ru Paul's Drag Race, or best in show at Crufts

In some ways we need the Nobel Peace Prize committee to not only say it's not his, as they have done, but to say that he will never get one as being a warmongering a hole does not make one eligible. Could they give Sadiq, Biden or Hilary one just to get at him?

 

[DelW]

I can see Trump now thinking of all the awards he can acquire and then say "I got all these great awards, no one else has as many awards as me, I must be really special, sleepy Joe hasn't got as many, neither has any other president" and then either have them re-engraved or faked certificates made up so it looks like their his.
Can't someone get him one from Ru Paul's Drag Race, or best in show at Crufts

Crufts might be appropriate for this:

Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club Hosts Gala with Dancers in Dog Masks

President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., hosted an event at which some attendees wore dog masks and dressed in 18th-century formal wear

people.com

• President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club hosted the the American Humane Society's 15th Annual Hero Dog Awards Gala on Jan. 9
• Some entertainers dressed in dog masks and 18th-century formal wear, as seen in footage from the event
  
  

You really couldn't make it up, it's more like the last days of Marie Antoinette or Nero every day.

 

[nw1]

Trump has his Nobel Peace Prize.

Machado presents Trump with her Nobel award at White House meeting

Trump thanked Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, calling it "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect".

www.bbc.co.uk

To me this suggests that the original owner wasn't worthy of it either.

Anyone who has enough respect for Trump to think he is worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize is not to be trusted, IMO.

 

[ainsworth74]

To me this suggests that the original owner wasn't worthy of it either.

Anyone who has enough respect for Trump to think he is worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize is not to be trusted, IMO.

She's trying to play the game. She clearly needs the Trump regime to give her support if she's to have a hope of assuming the presidency that she almost certain won in Venezuela's last set of elections (considering that all the attack on Venezuela actually did was remove Maduro, the rest of his regime remains in place undisturbed). Trump has basically explicitly said because she accepted "his" Peace Prize he won't back her so if she's to try and get them back on side it's quite clear what needs to be done. Trump is so venal and fickle that it may well not work anyway. But sometimes you have to do things that you'd much rather not in service of trying to get a better outcome overall.

To me this is not the face of someone who is happy to be there doing what she's doing:

(Image shows a gurning Trump holding the Peace Prize next to Machado who is sporting, what is to me, and incredibly forced smile)

Machado presents Trump with her Nobel award at White House meeting

Trump thanked Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, calling it "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect".

www.bbc.co.uk

Nothing about this exchange suggests she has any respect for Trump and I think you need to maybe try and take a step back and think about this from a wider angle than just pure hatred of Trump. As much as I also hate him you cannot allow it to become the only lens through which you see events.

 

[nw1]

Nothing about this exchange suggests she has any respect for Trump and I think you need to maybe try and take a step back and think about this from a wider angle than just pure hatred of Trump. As much as I also hate him you cannot allow it to become the only lens through which you see events.

Thanks for the clarification and sorry for jumping to conclusions! Easy to do so when you're dealing with someone like Trump.

 

[gg1]

On of the comments on the BBC Facebook post about this sums it up perfectly:

You know how parents often let toddlers win at a game, to avoid a tantrum

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1368897795274209&set=a.334266858737313

 

[Bantamzen]

She's trying to play the game. She clearly needs the Trump regime to give her support if she's to have a hope of assuming the presidency that she almost certain won in Venezuela's last set of elections (considering that all the attack on Venezuela actually did was remove Maduro, the rest of his regime remains in place undisturbed). Trump has basically explicitly said because she accepted "his" Peace Prize he won't back her so if she's to try and get them back on side it's quite clear what needs to be done. Trump is so venal and fickle that it may well not work anyway. But sometimes you have to do things that you'd much rather not in service of trying to get a better outcome overall.

To me this is not the face of someone who is happy to be there doing what she's doing:

(Image shows a gurning Trump holding the Peace Prize next to Machado who is sporting, what is to me, and incredibly forced smile)

Machado presents Trump with her Nobel award at White House meeting

Trump thanked Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, calling it "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect".

www.bbc.co.uk

Nothing about this exchange suggests she has any respect for Trump and I think you need to maybe try and take a step back and think about this from a wider angle than just pure hatred of Trump. As much as I also hate him you cannot allow it to become the only lens through which you see events.

We now live in a world where a winner of a Nobel Peace Prize has to bring shiny things to appease one of the most powerful leaders on the planet. What a time to be alive....