President Donald Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland, with the White House not ruling out military action, as Morning Joe’s co-host Joe Scarborough criticized the idea as ‘abosolutely insane.’
Trump, seemingly emboldened by the success of Venezuela, has a new target in the Arctic. This change has unsettled NATO capitals and the president seems serious about his longtime obsession with Greenland.
The White House has labeled Greenland as a national security priority and stated the administration is considering “a range of options,” including potential military involvement, which has sparked backlash.
Scarborough used a Wall Street Journal critique of the Greenland plan as a starting point and emphasized the administration’s suggestion that military force is an “option.” He viewed this as a direct threat to the postwar alliance system that the United States has built and relied on.
“No, it’s not an option unless you are absolutely insane. It would mean turning away from what America has done since 1945,” he said. “This effort has created, let me restate for those who think America has been foolish, a world order that began in 1947. This led to the American century and to our military being the strongest in history. It made us the most powerful nation in terms of soft power and created the biggest economic machine in world history.”
“These billionaires talking nonsense are the same ones who have thrived because of the world order we established after 1945,” he continued. “That world order starts to fall apart when you undermine NATO by suggesting an invasion of one of its allies.”
“Let me clarify again for those who think of military options,” he added. “Maybe they are just playing with crayons before making such statements. The U.S. GDP is about $25, 26, or 27 trillion. The EU’s GDP is around $23, 24, or 25 trillion. Russia’s is about $1.4 trillion. Our strength lies in standing together with our allies, the ones who helped us defeat Nazism and communism, and will help us tackle the threat from China.”
“And we’re discussing Venezuela while China is advancing globally,” he noted. “We’re focused on Greenland while China moves forward in the 21st century across military, economic, and diplomatic fronts.”
Denmark’s prime minister has urged Trump to stop “threatening” Greenland, and European leaders, along with Greenlandic officials,s have firmly opposed any notion that NATO borders can be negotiated.
Allies hear a U.S. president suggesting pressure on a partner’s territory while keeping military action as a possibility, and they perceive a breakdown of trust.
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial captured the sentiments being felt in various capitals, questioning why the U.S. would provoke Denmark and Greenland and what the country stands to gain that could justify the fallout.
Scarborough clearly believes it isn’t a smart strategy but more of an obsession. Trump’s move invites the world to witness the United States threatening the very alliance that has strengthened American power for generations.
