President Donald Trump has said it is “absolutely necessary” for our country to own Greenland.
He argues that the US should take back the Panama Canal unless “ridiculous” shipping charges are lowered.
He threatened that any Republican who opposes him on legislation to avert a government shutdown could and should be elected in a primary.
The president-elect has developed a reputation as a disruptor, with enough influence over the incumbent party to destroy carefully negotiated bipartisan compromises. Let’s take a look at each.
How was President-elect Trump able to pull off the “Deal of the Century” after taking office?
During his first term, President Trump attempted to buy Greenland, which Denmark effectively controls but is under internal control. It sparked a diplomatic crisis with the Danish authorities, but to no avail.
The United States built the Panama Canal in the early 20th century, but it was handed over to Panama under a treaty ratified by both countries. Panama’s President José Raul Mulino said: “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belongs to Panama and always will. Our sovereignty and independence are non-negotiable.”
That didn’t stop President Trump from posting an AI image of the American flag flying over what appeared to be a canal.
The president-elect has certainly demonstrated the ability to engineer major challenges against those who oppose him. But his call to lift the debt ceiling during his term was dropped after 30 conservative Republicans voted against the government shutdown bill, including final passage. Will he really hold primaries against all of them?
Therefore, it is overwhelmingly likely that Greenland, the Panama Canal, and the restive Republican Party’s positions will remain unchanged in a second term.
The reason Trump does this is to reinforce his role as the disruptor, the one who takes over the weakened Washington system, even though the president is by definition a new system.
President-elect Donald Trump points to America Fest in Phoenix on Sunday, December 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Scutelli)
Moreover, whether or not he is making exorbitant demands, Trump shapes and often controls the news agenda. As the 47th president admitted to me, he sometimes crosses the line because he knows it will provoke a strong reaction from the media. In President Trump’s view, the media is playing on its own turf, so even negative reporting is good reporting.
And sometimes, like the threat of 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, these are simply negotiating positions to win concessions.
Remember, most people outside the media-political complex aren’t following these developments with bated breath. Trump doesn’t consider it a setback that he didn’t get most of what he wanted because the government hasn’t actually shut down. They probably don’t remember that he tried to buy Greenland before.
What President Trump clearly has the power to do is tear up a carefully crafted bipartisan agreement. He introduced the bill after House Speaker Mike Johnson (who, like his predecessor Kevin McCarthy, is putting his own future in jeopardy because he didn’t have the votes) let it grow into a giant Christmas tree. Executed.
And he did just that during the campaign, when the two parties agreed to a tough border security deal that was later scrapped over President Trump’s opposition.
But there are clearly limits to President Trump’s ability to shape events, especially with regard to this country. The fact that 30 Republicans are rebelling against him on a basic issue, the debt ceiling, shows the limits to how far he can push his party.
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Rep. Nancy Mace, a Trump supporter who voted against Trump in final passage, told me on Sunday’s Media Buzz that it’s because she wants to keep the debt ceiling in place.
But for now, the cauldron of campaign rhetoric faces the cold, difficult calculation of hitting that 218 number, as Republicans cling to a one-vote lead in the House.
Democrats must consider whether it is worth negotiating with the other party if it only creates a target for President Trump’s demolition derby.
At President Trump’s suggestion, Elon Musk was the first to tweet about how bad the original bill was, and after more than 70 tweets (some false), the new president has drawn into the fray. It was.
BUTLER, PA – OCTOBER 5: Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks with former President Donald Trump during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show on Saturday, October 5, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. do. ((Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) ))
Over the weekend, Trump denied that he had ceded presidential power to his billionaire friend and semi-scornfully said there was no way Musk could ever become president.
“You know why? He wasn’t born in this country. Hahaha.”
A popular game in the media hall is whether these two strong-willed people will eventually fall out.
But for now, President Trump’s harsh rhetoric on Greenland and the Panama Canal shows he is most comfortable being aggressive, even if it accomplishes nothing. .
More news:
–A House ethics report says Matt Gaetz “regularly” paid women for sex, including sex with underage girls, and used illegal drugs.
In 2017, a former attorney general candidate “conducted sexual acts with a 17-year-old girl” and the girl was also paid.
Gaetz allegedly used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on “multiple occasions” and also received large gifts, including travel and lodging in the Bahamas.
“Many of the women interviewed by the committee made it clear that sex was generally expected of them,” one woman told the committee, adding that she was paid more than $5,000 by Mr. “Ninety-nine percent” sex was involved, he told the commission.
The committee said Gaetz was “uncooperative” and “knowingly and knowingly obstructed and attempted to obstruct the committee’s investigation into his conduct.” The Justice Department investigated but did not file charges.
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Gaetz also misused House resources when he had his chief of staff “help obtain a passport for a woman he had sexually engaged with and falsely report to the U.S. State Department that she was a voter.”
“Representative Gaetz violated the rules of the House of Representatives, state and federal law, and other standards of conduct that prohibit prostitution, statutory rape, illegal drug use, accepting impermissible gifts, providing special favors or privileges, and obstructing Congress. There was substantial evidence that
If Gaetz was still a candidate for AG, this would have blown him away.
Gaetz says: “I wasn’t charged with anything, I was completely innocent. It wasn’t even a campaign finance violation. And the people who were investigating me hated me. The very “witnesses” that the department deemed unreliable were assembled by House Ethics to repeat the allegations in absentia. Never. ”He has also sent money to women he is not dating.
–A tenacious reporter for the Dallas Express has discovered what happened to Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger, who went “missing” several months ago. He found her at a nursing home that specializes in dementia and other memory disorders, and received recorded confirmation. She made statements about health challenges that were completely off the mark. Why couldn’t she tell the voters this? Why did she try to hide it? She would have had a lot of sympathy. Instead, lawmakers kept it all secret.
–Actress Blake Lively was the target of an online smear campaign. Texts and emails openly discuss planting stories to tarnish her reputation, while also telling her that this should be kept secret because they have trouble admitting what they’re trying to do. I’m warning you. To “bury” her. “We know we can bury anyone.”
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively (David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images/Leah Tobey/Getty Images)
Lively obtained these documents through a lawsuit against co-star and director Justin Baldoni, and they were confirmed by The New York Times. She has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, alleging that Baldoni and others would routinely enter her trailer without notice while she was topless, including removing body makeup and breastfeeding.
Wayfarer Studios said the company and a spokesperson “did not take any aggressive or retaliatory action” against the actress, adding, “This is yet another attempt to ‘correct’ her negative publicity.” “It was a desperate attempt,” he said.
Lively said Baldoni tried to add unnecessary sex scenes, gave her an impromptu unwanted kiss and discussed her sex life, including that it may not have been consensual. . Another member of the team showed her a video of his wife naked.
The sad thing is that things like this happen all the time. I happened to get the goods this time, and Lively is portrayed as difficult, tone-deaf, and a bully.
–Jeff Bezos will marry his fiancée Lauren Sanchez this weekend in a $600 million extravaganza in Aspen, the Daily Mail reports.
The founder of Amazon, the owner of the Washington Post, says that’s outrageous:
“This whole thing is completely false and nothing like this is happening…
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“The old adage, ‘Don’t believe everything you read,’ is truer today than ever before. A lie can now spread around the world before the truth reveals itself.” So, everyone out there, be careful. Don’t be fooled.”
I’m glad Jeff fought back against the nonsense.
Howard Kurtz is the host of FOX News Channel’s MediaBuzz (Sundays 11am-12pm ET). Based in Washington, D.C., he joined the network in July 2013 and appears regularly on Special Report with Bret Baier and other shows.
