Today in Politics, Bulletin 42. 1/7/25

… Trump gave an insane press conference today as he continued to threaten and insult our closest friends and allies. The purpose of the press conference was ostensibly to announce that Dubai businessman Hussain Sajwani, chairman of Dubai-based developer Damac Properties, is investing $20 billion in the U.S. for new data centers.

… But then the questions began, and Trump started off by talking about seizing Greenland: “People really don't even know if Denmark has any legal right to it. But if they do, they should he give it up because we need it for national security.”

… When asked if he could assure the world that he will not resort to using military force to seize Greenland or the Panama Canal, Trump responded: “No. I can’t assure you on either of those two.”

… He then said this about the Gulf of Mexico: “We’re going to be changing the name to the Gulf of America. Which has a beautiful ring to it. What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate.”

… Then on to Canada: “They rely on our military. It’s all fine, but they gotta pay for that.” He was then asked if he would use military force to invade Canada just like he said he might do with Panama and Greenland: “No. Economic force. Canada and the US together. That would be something. You get rid of that artificially drawn line and take a look at what that looks like.”

… Trump then said that Canada is basically useless to the US: “We don’t need their cars. They make 20% of our cars, we don’t need that. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their milk. We don’t need anything they have. They should be a state, that’s what I told Trudeau when he came down.”

… He also threatened Mexico while he was at it.

… Franklin Graham also weighed in: “Pray for Canada as they begin to sort out their new leadership after the resignation of their PM Justin Trudeau. We have seen a big shift in Canada over the last few years in how the government and law enforcement view Christians and pastors who dared to speak out. Pray that Canada will get leadership who will respect faith and help preserve religious freedom in their country.”

… I’m sure Canadians love all this input from their right-wing American friends on how much they need American leadership to survive.

… Justin Trudeau responded: “There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would ever become part of the United States.”

… Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly: “His comments show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country. Our economy is strong. Our people are strong. We will never back down in the face of threats.”

… Marge Greene responded to Trump’s press conference by being the first sycophant to file a bill based on what he said. Her bill: “Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper or other record of the US to the Gulf of Mexico shall be deemed to be a reference to the ‘Gulf of America.’ The Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall oversee the implementation of the renaming.”

… Meanwhile, Don Jr landed in Greenland this morning with Charlie Kirk on ‘Trump Force One’ where they had lunch with 10 people wearing MAGA hats who supposedly wanted the US to come and take over their territory. Trump also posted a video this morning of a man from Greenland wearing a MAGA hat who felt the same way. The man was convicted drug trafficker Timmy Zeeb, who has an extensive criminal history.

… Trump then posted: “Don Jr and my Reps landing in Greenland. The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. Make Greenland Great Again!”

… Trump called in to Junior’s phone and he was put on speaker in the Greenland restaurant. He explained to the 10 people there that it is important for the US to take over their land because “you see the people in the ships sailing around, and they’re not the right ships. So we need security. Our country needs it and the whole world because you’re so strategically located.”

… But after we take your country over we are happy to give you a job at our new Trump Tower Greenland!

… But Trump ran as a peace candidate who was going to stop US involvement in “endless wars” and promised repeatedly that he was going to end the war in Ukraine “less than 24 hours” after taking office, that “it will be easy,” and “everyone will be happy.” Let’s check in on how that’s going with this from Reuters: “Trump's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, has postponed his first post-election trip to Kyiv, slated for early January. Reason not clear but it underlines how solving the conflict will be more time-intensive than Trump had planned.”

… Imagine that.

… Elon Musk responded to photos from Junior’s trip: “If the people of Greenland want to be a part of America, which I hope they do, they would be most welcome!”

… Danish PM Mette Frederiksen made it clear today that they will not be selling or handing over Greenland to the US, and said Greenland PM Mute Egede has assured her that there is no support for that among the vast majority of people in the territory.

… Greenland has just under 60,000 people and has had self-rule since 1979 with their own parliament, although it is still part of Denmark and that country provides military and foreign policy for the island. Greenland has the ability to gain complete independence from Denmark if they wish by referendum, which could possibly happen during their elections this April. That may be what Trump and his minions are trying to influence, which could also explain why Charlie Kirk went on the trip.

… We will also see if Musk’s money will somehow be used to influence the Greenland election. Wouldn’t shock me - his plan to use his vast fortune to someday rule the world is becoming pretty obvious.

… The Biden Administration announced a rule change which requires companies that compile consumer credit data to remove medical debt from their reports. More than $49 billion in medical debt from the credit reports of millions of Americans across the country will no longer negatively affect their credit score, and lenders will no longer be able to consider medical debt when evaluating whether or not to give someone a loan.

… As a result of this rule change, Americans could see their credit scores skyrocket by an average of 20 points, and more than 20,000 new mortgages could now be approved each year.

… Of course, it is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that enforces this new rule, and Trump and Stephen Miller have pledged to abolish that agency, so we will see whether they choose to reverse this decision along with so much else that helps tens of millions of Americans.

… Puck is reporting that Amazon is paying Melania Trump $40 million for the movie rights to her life story. Her husband and son Barron must also make cameos in the film as part of the deal. A source close to Melania: “She is more confident and has taken full control of her public image, which she knows is worth millions, and she’s ready to be paid for the work she puts into the movie and for revealing more about herself.”

… The story from Puck quotes the same source saying that Jeff Bezos “took a personal interest in the movie” which “helped him get back on friendly terms with Trump.”

… Bezos’s Washington Post announced today it is laying off 4% of its workforce.

… Ready for some good news for a change? Democrats defended two seats tonight in a special election in Virginia to maintain their slim one-seat majorities in the Senate and House.

… Meanwhile, as Merrick Garland was mulling over whether to release the complete report from Jack Smith’s investigation, Judge Aileen Cannon issued an order out of the blue temporarily blocking release of it. Cannon has no jurisdiction over the J6 investigation - the case she had dealt with classified documents. So while it seems like this is another breach of judicial ethics by Cannon, it may serve to draw another appeal to delay this until Trump takes office and the report is killed.

… Of course, if this was a Trump AG with an incriminating report on a Democrat, they would release it regardless of what a judge with no jurisdiction in Florida says. That is exactly what Garland should do. But knowing him, he will probably dither and it will never see the light of day. It damn well better at least be leaked by a staffer if Garland doesn’t release it.

… Liz Cheney: “AG Garland now has a duty to release the Justice Department Report and prevent its evidence from being destroyed. The truth must prevail. The framers of our Constitution knew the lessons of history — that people led by men without character can quickly lose their freedom.”

… Yesterday, Meidas went over 250,000 free subscribers on Substack in just 3 months on the platform. This is how to build a movement that provides a serious alternative to legacy media. Thank you especially to the paid subscribers - you are the engine that drives this train.

… Oral argument was held before an appeals court today on Trump’s attempt to block his sentencing before Judge Merchan in NY this Friday. According to journalist Adam Klasfeld who was on the scene: “Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche had a skeptical