From Nobel Prize (Econ) winner Paul Krugman:
Donald Trump has many weird obsessions, but his fixation on acquiring Greenland may be the weirdest. Alas, it’s also consequential. European nations are taking it seriously enough that they have sent military forces into Greenland — not exactly to fight off an invasion, but to serve as a tripwire that would mean that U.S. forces trying to seize the island would have to open fire on allies. This would be an awesome act, and also an order that the U.S. military might (and should) disobey.
So Trump is making his all-purpose response:
Trump vows tariffs on eight European nations over Greenland (Reuters)
Some quick thoughts, in no particular order:
- European deterrence has worked. This is basically a howl of frustration on the part of a mad dictator who has just realized that he can’t send in the Marines
- A tariff to promote territorial expansion is clearly illegal, under any sane interpretation of U.S. trade law. This is on the Supreme Court, which is obviously dithering while the world burns
- Trump thinks, or at least wants to believe, that tariffs are a Veg-O-Matic policy that can accomplish all goals. They slice! They dice! They eliminate budget deficits! They reindustrialize! They intimidate foreigners!
- These are nations that allegedly made trade deals with Trump. They’ve just learned what they should have known from the beginning: a deal with Trump lasts until he feels like breaking it
- Greenland? We’re going to demolish what’s left of our credibility for Greenland?
Trump is a fourth-rater, which means his philosophy for conducting himself in the world is basically inferior. Well, that’s being polite. It’s awful. It’s embarrassing.
He may make initial progress, but his driving narcissism and failure to adhere to the rules of good behavior means that, at some point, all of his friends stop supporting him and he is torn apart by the peasants with pitchforks crowd.
That’s why Minnesota needs to exercise patience while the squalling infant continues to thrash about. Eventually, someone in the group of Congress, SCOTUS, US Marshals, and Secret Service will cuff him and drag him off, much to the dismay of his adherents, but not to the surprise of former allies he’s burned. It’s conceivable he’ll fly to The Seychelles (no extradition treaty, last I heard), but I’m not sure he’s that smart.
