Republicans want Greenland debate resolved ‘very soon’
Bob Cusack of the Washington examiner says the GOP wants the Greenland controversy settled quickly so it won’t dominate headlines heading into the midterms.President Trump has publicly pushed for U.S. “control” of Greenland, threatened 10% tariffs on NATO allies who don’t support him, and argued he’s done more for NATO than others, raising concerns about expanded U.S. presence as of Russian and Chinese interests.
Cusack described the situation as a rare and tricky dilemma and saeid some Republicans – including Sen. John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson – are downplaying the idea of a military takeover, even though the White House hasn’t ruled out strong measures. Republicans are anxious to move past the issue because it’s unpopular and distracts from core “bread-and-butter” topics.
He also noted that Trump’s tariff posture has multiple effects, including prompting allies to boost defense spending, and that Trump’s recent foreign-policy actions have emboldened him. On the economy,Cusack said Trump is both attacking “Bidenomics” and acting defensively,repeating some of the political missteps of the Biden era; he suggested Republicans should show empathy on economic pain while outlining concrete solutions.
Public reaction abroad and at home has been critical: Gov. Gavin Newsom urged European leaders to stand up to Trump’s demands, and french President Emmanuel Macron criticized expansionist tactics in broader remarks 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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