Official Trump second term prediction thread

[Muse]

People don't talk about it a lot, but Bill Gates palled around with Jeffrey Epstein. And you know the cliche about the "company that you keep."

Trump has had a woody for Greenland since his first term. The U.S. isn't going to attack a NATO ally unless the military chain-of-command resigns en masse. Trump thinks so highly of himself that he believes he can buy Greenland just like we bought Alaska from the Russian empire.

I'm not sure that I buy we're directly attacking the Mexican cartels soon after inauguration, but I do buy that an unhinged Trump is a dangerous mofo.

I don't get where Trump calls the acquisition of Greenland a necessity for security reasons. I haven't seen or heard any unravelling of his thinking on this, if there is any. It's just something he says in lieu of an explanation for his obsession as far as I can see. What is it? Resources? A feather in his hat? We can't need missile launch sites there, we have nuclear attack submarines and ICBMs. Does he want acquisitions to leave some argument that he augmented the USA in some tangible way? There's nothing else, really. No new health care system, no wall, no infrastructure, just a legacy of chaos, violence, a million+ dead from his horrible pandemic response, a bunch of conservative judges, destruction of Roe, a shambles of a reputation, denigration of all he considers his enemies. I think it's at least partly a smoke screen for his priorities, being establishing a financial empire for himself and his family and distracting from the task at hand, getting his horrible cabinet picks approved.

The Greenland thing smacks as some kind of sad desperation to be able to attach his name to some kind of "accomplishment" to be remembered for. Trump would claim he made a bigger deal than Jefferson did for the Louisiana purchase.

Yeah.

 

[Paratus]

The Greenland thing smacks as some kind of sad desperation to be able to attach his name to some kind of "accomplishment" to be remembered for. Trump would claim he made a bigger deal than Jefferson did for the Louisiana purchase.

He wants Greenland because he thinks it’s yuge because of the Mercator projection.

https://www.newsweek.com/mercator-projection-greenland-donald-trump-2011694

“You take a look at a map. I'm a real estate developer. I look at a corner, I say, 'I've got to get that store for the building that I'm building,' etc. It's not that different," Trump said. "I love maps. And I always said: 'Look at the size of this. It's massive. That should be part of the United States.'"

 

[pmv]

He wants Greenland because he thinks it’s yuge because of the Mercator projection.

https://www.newsweek.com/mercator-projection-greenland-donald-trump-2011694

That might be part of it. Seems also as if the narcissistic victory (whatever is the opposite of a narcissistic wound) of winning has gone to his head and he thinks he can do anything, and is indulging all his childish fantasies, drawing the borders of imaginary empires on maps.
Scarily like Putin, though, come to think of it, just hope he's not as competent/professional about seeing through his mad imperial dreams as Putin is.

Greenland presumably does have a lot of potential mineral resources, and climate change means a lot of arctic ice is going to be melting...

He's not doing much to dispel what one hopes are overheated comparisons with Adolf, though. I suppose what matters is how far his personal dysfunction represents something larger in the US population/electorate as a whole, or if it's just one idiot accidentally ending up in power.

 

[brycejones]

He wants Greenland because he thinks it’s yuge because of the Mercator projection.

https://www.newsweek.com/mercator-projection-greenland-donald-trump-2011694

“You take a look at a map. I'm a real estate developer. I look at a corner, I say, 'I've got to get that store for the building that I'm building,' etc. It's not that different," Trump said. "I love maps. And I always said: 'Look at the size of this. It's massive. That should be part of the United States.'"

In terms of area it would be the largest single addition to the US in history. And as you have pointed out Trump is a size queen.

 

[Amol S.]

He hangs out with a lot of crackpots who say nice things to him.

First it was Mike Lindel, then Rudy Guilliani, then RFK JR, ans now Elon Musk. I wonder who will be Trump's next buddy? Eric Adams????

 

[Muse]

He wants Greenland because he thinks it’s yuge because of the Mercator projection.

https://www.newsweek.com/mercator-projection-greenland-donald-trump-2011694

“You take a look at a map. I'm a real estate developer. I look at a corner, I say, 'I've got to get that store for the building that I'm building,' etc. It's not that different," Trump said. "I love maps. And I always said: 'Look at the size of this. It's massive. That should be part of the United States.'"

Yeah, the Mercator Projection makes Greenland look gigantic but it's way way smaller. My shower curtain has a see-through map of earth, Mercator Projected. Greenland looks massive. Trump's real estate developer mind sees it as a big prize. Har har. He thinks when he faces Obama again he can at least think that he brought this big island into the fold, yeah, what did you bring in, Barack?!

 

[ivwshane]

People will notice Eric and Jr. and DJ and Jerrod stuffing their sacks with taxpayer money.

They'll also be paying attention to who's gonna run the NIH, DOD, DOJ. Senators have to show backbone.

People, as in very specific people, but not the American people as a whole.

 

[Pens1566]

He wants it because Don Jr saw on a map it was all covered in white.


Seriously, if we didn't "need" it during the cold war for military purposes (GIUK gap), then we certainly don't "need" it now.

 

[biostud]

He wants it because Don Jr saw on a map it was all covered in white.


Seriously, if we didn't "need" it during the cold war for military purposes (GIUK gap), then we certainly don't "need" it now.

The reason why it is interesting to "own" Greenland is rare earth minerals and other mining projects like uranium and Thorium. Everything regarding security can be accomplished without any problems through NATO. US can put whatever bases in Greenland they want, and Greenland and Denmark will accept. (Except nuclear, which I don't think is relevant anyways)

 

[hal2kilo]

The reason why it is interesting to "own" Greenland is rare earth minerals and other mining projects like uranium and Thorium. Everything regarding security can be accomplished without any problems through NATO. US can put whatever bases in Greenland they want, and Greenland and Denmark will accept. (Except nuclear, which I don't think is relevant anyways)

Bingo.

 

[K1052]

He wants it because Don Jr saw on a map it was all covered in white.


Seriously, if we didn't "need" it during the cold war for military purposes (GIUK gap), then we certainly don't "need" it now.

Trump is about a week away from floating that we should invade Alberta for the oil because his sweaty peanut of a brain thinks that giving the Canadians money for it is them taking advantage of us.

 

[hal2kilo]

Trump is about a week away from floating that we should invade Alberta for the oil because his sweaty peanut of a brain thinks that giving the Canadians money for it is them taking advantage of us.

Everything is a real estate transaction to Trump.

 

[K1052]

Everything is a real estate transaction to Trump.

I think this is more due to his mob boss mentality about how powerful people operate. A transaction where one person gives money and the other person gives an asset is simply commerce which is what Canada and the US does. Trump has a particular weird obsession with natural resources if you remember the "we should take Iraq's oil" stuff.

 

[Brainonska511]

The reason why it is interesting to "own" Greenland is rare earth minerals and other mining projects like uranium and Thorium. Everything regarding security can be accomplished without any problems through NATO. US can put whatever bases in Greenland they want, and Greenland and Denmark will accept. (Except nuclear, which I don't think is relevant anyways)

Those deposits already exist in the US. We just don't mine them here.

 

[biostud]

Bingo.

In Danish law the state owns all ressorces found in the ground/sea while in US law (as I understand it) it is the landowner who also owns any ressorces found on his/her land, which makes quite a difference if you want to start a mining business.

 

[hal2kilo]

In Danish law the state owns all ressorces found in the ground/sea while in US law (as I understand it) it is the landowner who also owns any ressorces found on his/her land, which makes quite a difference if you want to start a mining business.

That is not true for all states in the U.S. Minerals rights can be obtained right under your property in most of the western states.

 

[K1052]

Those deposits already exist in the US. We just don't mine them here.

IIRC US Uranium deposits are of lower quality and thus more expensive to extract as a result. So we mostly buy from the international market for our power reactor fleet.

 

[hal2kilo]

IIRC US Uranium deposits are of lower quality and thus more expensive to extract as a result. So we mostly buy from the international market for our power reactor fleet.

Some of those areas that were mined for uranium are uninhabitable for humans for a long, long time now.

 

[Brainonska511]

IIRC US Uranium deposits are of lower quality and thus more expensive to extract as a result. So we mostly buy from the international market for our power reactor fleet.

That's probably some of it. But also, we don't mind export the negative externalities of mining to other people.

 

[K1052]

That's probably some of it. But also, we don't mind export the negative externalities of mining to other people.

In the case of Russia sure. Don't know enough about Australian and Canadian mining practices to have an informed opinion but I would not suspect them to be as lax. I think what kind of deposit the uranium is in has some impact on the environmental damage incurred also.

 

[NWRMidnight]

The reason why it is interesting to "own" Greenland is rare earth minerals and other mining projects like uranium and Thorium. Everything regarding security can be accomplished without any problems through NATO. US can put whatever bases in Greenland they want, and Greenland and Denmark will accept. (Except nuclear, which I don't think is relevant anyways)

rare earth minerals, is the same reason Russia is going after Ukraine. And people still don't think Trump is Putin's puppet. Trump idolizes Putin, which is why he is trying to follow simular patters/playbook.

 

[NWRMidnight]

Those deposits already exist in the US. We just don't mine them here.

It's not so much about mining them, it's about power and controlling those rare minurals, where many of them are used for energy sources, around the world.

 

[K1052]

Everybody is like clever Mr Trump is gonna spare the R parts of the country and only do the D parts is really missing that CBP really, truly wants to do this everywhere. Sheriffs in red counties across the country eagerly want to help them. Businesses that have managed to secure H2B workers will report their competitors who have not to get advantages.

People who were moaning about the price of eggs and voted for this are going to do some real finding out.

https://bsky.app/profile/sanho.bsky.social/post/3lffjqlifyk2i

 

[brycejones]

Everybody is like clever Mr Trump is gonna spare the R parts of the country and only do the D parts is really missing that CBP really, truly wants to do this everywhere. Sheriffs in red counties across the country eagerly want to help them. Businesses that have managed to secure H2B workers will report their competitors who have not to get advantages.

People who were moaning about the price of eggs and voted for this are going to do some real finding out.

https://bsky.app/profile/sanho.bsky.social/post/3lffjqlifyk2i

Just thinking of all the conservative ranting here about "illegals" being "illegal" by that very simple minded view every undocumented person is a bad person and a criminal in their eyes. This outcome was entirely predictable.

 

[K1052]

Just thinking of all the conservative ranting here about "illegals" being "illegal" by that very simple minded view every undocumented person is a bad person and a criminal in their eyes. This outcome was entirely predictable.

The US demands vast amounts of labor a these people are simply filling the supply side of that balance. People who are misinformed about this population are in for some interesting times if they actually all do go away.