President-elect Donald Trump has once again sparked a media firestorm with his latest round of off-the-cuff remarks, this time suggesting that the U.S. should recover the Panama Canal, purchase Greenland and, most provocatively, incorporate Canada as the 51st state.
Predictably, critics are in full-throated outrage, decrying these remarks as a revival of 19th-century “Manifest Destiny” dreams of territorial conquest. Yet such reactions reveal a profound misunderstanding of Trump’s political style and the realities of American society. Critics need to stop taking these comments so seriously.
Trump’s remarks are not policy proposals; they’re trolling. Ever since his first campaign, Trump has wielded the absurd to provoke and dominate the media cycle. Suggesting he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue or musing about Greenland infuriates critics, entertains his base and shifts attention away from his vulnerabilities. This latest round of territorial musings is vintage Trump — provocative, headline-grabbing and unserious.
The outrage triggered by these comments reflects a misreading of today’s political landscape. Unlike 19th-century America, there is no cultural, political or social movement supporting territorial conquest. America’s population is aging, not surging. Cultural superiority has given way to pluralistic debates over national identity, and many Americans question even existing global commitments. Trump’s presidency has emphasized retrenchment over expansion, with his “America First” mantra signaling a sharp break from the interventionist consensus of the post-World War II era.
Author
Andrew
Latham
Non-Resident Fellow
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