By James Pogue, NEW YORK- Isn’t it ‘funny’ how life can imitate some really scary movies? Except that in this case, the ‘scary movie’ is actually a real-life scenario with none other than U.S. President Donald Trump who seems to fancy himself a bonvivant when it comes to provoking America’s allies – relishing takeovers right and left. First, it was the secret four-hour operation to oust Venezuela’s former president Maduro from power and now Greenland has become Trump’s new mantra as he casually told reporters aboard Air Force One: “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security.” Of course, such a remark riled up Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen who on January 4, said the U.S. had “no right to annex” Greenland, in a statement, adding “I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally.” Frederiksen also emphasized that Greenlanders “have said very clearly that they are not for sale.”
What is particularly vexing about all of this is that Congress is allowing Trump to be the ‘runaway bride’ stealing the spotlight with his dramatic moves. In fact, Trump’s actions in Venezuela and his inflammatory rhetoric, make him a prime candidate for impeachment proceedings but so far, it appears that he is getting away with some of the most outrageous behavior a U.S. president has ever displayed. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen of Greenland rejected Trump’s remarks, stating on social media that Trump’s rhetoric was “utterly unacceptable” and that connecting Venezuela with Greenland was “wrong” and “disrespectful.” Meanwhile, Denmark’s Ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moller Sorensen reacted with a “friendly reminder” that Denmark expects “full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.” But the scary part is that it’s not just Venezuela that Trump is picking on, now it’s Colombia and who knows what other country or countries will be next. This begs the question: Why is the U.S. Congress not doing their job to reign in a president who views his power as infinite? Which leads to the final question: Has justice been replaced by full-blown nepotism, favoritism and the whim of the day? Me thinks we all know the answer to that.
