Republicans want Greenland debate resolved ‘very soon’
Bob Cusack of the Washington Examiner says congressional Republicans want the controversy over President Trump’s remarks about Greenland resolved quickly – ideally well before the 2026 midterms – as it distracts from core domestic issues.The article recounts Trump demanding “complete and total control of Greenland,” threatening tariffs on NATO allies who don’t support him, and insisting he has done more for NATO than anyone. Cusack told C-SPAN that while tariffs have pushed some countries to boost defense spending, Greenland presents a rare strategic dilemma: the U.S.has reasons to maintain or expand a presence given Russian and Chinese interest. Many Republicans, including Sen. John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson, have publicly downplayed any talk of military seizure, though the White House has not explicitly ruled it out. Cusack said the debate shifts attention away from “bread-and-butter” economic issues, where Trump is both attacking “Bidenomics” and showing defensive tendencies. The piece also notes reactions from figures like Gov. Gavin Newsom, who urged European leaders not to “roll over,” and President Emmanuel macron, who criticized similar foreign-policy approaches at Davos.
Republicans want Greenland debate resolved ‘very soon’ before midterm elections: Bob Cusack
Washington Examiner executive editor Bob Cusack said Tuesday he doesn’t know how the Greenland debate will end, as congressional Republicans are downplaying military action.
President Donald Trump has insisted the United States must have “complete and total control of Greenland,” while threatening to impose punitive 10% tariffs on NATO allies that don’t back his bid. The president has also told the press that he’s “done more for NATO than anybody else,” while stressing that “Greenland is very important.”
Cusack said on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Tuesday that Trump’s use of tariffs is “multifaceted,” as some of it has paved the way for other countries to boost their defense spending. On Greenland, however, Cusack described it as a “once-in-every-25-years dilemma,” and said it “makes sense” for the United States to keep its presence in the country since “Russia and China have an interest there.”
“And he could move to expand the base, but Trump is certainly doubling down after the successful operation in Venezuela that got Maduro. I think that’s emboldened him,” Cusack said.
“But Republicans, I mentioned [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune (R-SD) before, Speaker [Mike] Johnson (R-LA) has said, ‘Oh, we’re not talking about militarily taking over Greenland.’ Trump and the White House have not taken that off the table.”
“So I don’t know how this ends. It is a fascinating issue; it’s not a popular issue, so Republicans want it solved or to go away very soon. They don’t want to be talking about this in the fall of 2026, a month or two before the election,” Cusack said.
Cusack also said the Greenland topic draws focus away from “bread and butter issues,” saying the Democratic Party didn’t focus on this before the 2024 elections. He said that former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democrats warned that “democracy will die” if Trump were elected again. Still, Trump campaigned about the Democratic Party’s lack of basic issues while also being “a better candidate” compared to Harris.
While Trump’s criticism of “Bidenomics” played a role in his 2024 victory, Cusack said Trump is also being “defensive” on the economy. As such, Trump is making some of the same mistakes that Biden did.
GREENLAND FANTASY IS HURTING REPUBLICANS AND HARMING AMERICA
“So have some Bill Clinton in you, say ‘I feel your pain,’ but say, ‘We’re doing some things, we’ve done some things successfully, but we need to do more.’ What exactly that ‘more’ is we don’t know yet,” Cusack said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), a speculated presidential candidate for 2028, took a swing at European leaders on Tuesday for “rolling over” to Trump’s demands, saying they need to “have a backbone” if they are nervous about Trump’s threats to acquire Greenland.
French President Emmanuel Macron also dug at Trump’s foreign policy strategy in his Tuesday World Economic Forum speech, though he didn’t mention Trump directly.
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