Is President Trump sowing the seeds of his own destruction? - Steve Cardownie

Donald Trump is sworn in as US president in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, on January 20, for his second non-consecutive term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Languishing in the polls no more than three months ago the Liberal Party were predicted to fail in their attempt to secure a historic fourth term in office.

Then along came Trump. Having already called for Canada to become the USA’s 51st state, he repeated the claim when he weighed in on the Canadian election, posting on social media “Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminium, Lumber, Energy and all other businesses QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st State of the United States of America.”

This prompted Mark Carney to say in his victory speech that “President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us - that will never happen.”

Returning as Prime Minister, he went on to reflect on the consequences of Trump’s taunts when he said that the “old relationship of integration with the US is over” and that he and Trump will “discuss the future of two sovereign and independent nations” when they next speak together.

So now that his plan for Canada has backfired, he is free to devote more attention to the vexed question of Greenland and what to do with it.

Trump has already asserted that the US “can’t do without Greenland” and that “We need Greenland. Very importantly for international security, we have to have Greenland.”

His moronic sidekick, Vice-President, JD Vance, went further when he refused to rule out military force to take over Greenland on a recent visit there. Greenland voters went to the polls last month and ousted the ruling government coalition with the centre-right Democrats winning the most seats for the first time in its history.

The leader of the Democrats and new Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielson stated that this was a clear and unequivocal message to Donald Trump, going on to say that “We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our independence in the future.”

It is customary in American politics to view the first 100 days of a new president as an opportunity to assess the progress of the new administration and Trump’s approval rating currently sits at 44 per cent, making him the only post-war president to attract below 50 per cent approval at 100 days (in both his terms.)

Notwithstanding his effect on Canada and Greenland, he has so far failed to bring about peace in Ukraine, a conflict which he said he would end on “day one” of his second term, yet here we are, 100 days in and the war still rages on.

Having blamed Ukraine for starting the war, he now wants President Zelenskyy to agree terms that favour Russia at the expense of Ukraine. In other words, rewarding the aggressor and penalising the peaceful victim.

There is no doubt that Trump has created waves on an international level, whether it be by the hiking up tariffs or meddling in other country’s affairs.

However, the USA may suffer a backlash - and it will be nobody’s fault but his own.