Prominent Republicans insist on treating President Donald Trump like a child or a clueless old man, telling Americans that he does not mean what he says — despite the commander in chief making quite clear he means exactly that.
Trump’s threat to use military force to seize Greenland from Denmark, a U.S. ally via the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a recent example. “I don’t think it’s a threat,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama told The Bulwark. “I think it’s a promise that we’ll offer some money for it.” Sen. John Kennedy offered his own, colorful reimagining of the president’s saber-rattling. “Even a modestly intelligent ninth grader knows that to invade Greenland would be weapons-grade stupid. Now, President Trump is not weapons-grade stupid,” the Louisiana Republican told CNN. Trump, Kennedy added, does “not plan to invade Greenland. That does not mean they’re not going to seek a legal, formal partnership with Greenland.”
Trump’s subsequent comments? All options are on the table, including a military invasion. “We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not,” the president told reporters during a news conference last week. “If we don’t do it the easy way we’re going to do it the hard way.”
The phenomenon of redefining Trump’s rhetoric was somewhat understandable during his first presidency. He was new to elected office and still learning how the federal government operated.
But as we head toward Year 2 of his second presidency, those excuses have worn thin. Trump has plenty of on-the-job experience and has demonstrated an understanding of executive power, so much so that he rejects most limits on it.