Donald Trump’s tough talk—Buy Greenland! Take back Panama Canal!—sparks defiance from many Republican rebels

Donald Trump says it is an “absolute necessity” for our country to own Greenland.

He says USA should be taken bring back the Panama Canal unless the “ridiculous” shipping fees are reduced.

He threatened to do so any republican who opposed him on the bill to avoid a government shutdown can and should be primary.

The president-elect is gaining a reputation as a disruptor, with enough influence in what is now his party to blow up carefully negotiated bipartisan compromises. Let’s look at each of them.

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In his first term, Trump tried to buy Greenland, which is under the control of Denmark but under local administration. This brought nothing, although it created a diplomatic crisis with Danish officials.

While the US built the Panama Canal in the early 20th century, it was handed over to Panama under a treaty approved by both countries. Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino says that “every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zone is Panamanian and will continue to be so. There is no negotiation about the sovereignty and independence of our country.”

That didn’t stop Trump from releasing an AI image of an American flag flying over a waterway assumed to be a canal.

The new president has certainly shown an ability to engineer primary challenges to those who cross him. But three dozen conservative Republicans voted against him on the government shutdown bill, including its final passage, which rejected his request to remove the debt ceiling during his tenure. Would he really win the primary against all of them?

So, there is a high probability that the status of Greenland, the Panama Canal and the rebel republicans will not change in the second term.

The reason Trump is doing this is because it reinforces his role as a disruptor, someone who takes on the decrepit Washington establishment, even though the president is, by definition, the new establishment.

In addition, whether he makes outrageous demands or not, Trump shapes, and often dominates, the news agenda. As the 47th president admitted to me, he sometimes crosses the line because he knows it will cause a strong media reaction. As Trump sees it, even negative coverage it has good coverage because journalists play on his field.

And sometimes they are just bargaining positions to get concessions, as is the case with the threat of 25 percent tariffs against Canada and Mexico.

Remember, most people outside the media-political complex are not following these developments with bated breath. Since the government didn’t actually shut down, they don’t see it as a failure for Trump that he didn’t get most of what he wanted. They probably don’t remember that he tried to buy Greenland before.

What Trump clearly has the power to do is blow up carefully crafted bipartisan agreements. He did so after Speaker Mike Johnson—whose own future is in doubt because, like Kevin McCarthy before him, he didn’t have the votes—allowed the bill to grow into a Christmas tree monstrosity.

He did so during the campaign when both sides agreed on a tough deal on border enforcement, which was then destroyed by Trump’s objections.

But it is clear that there are limits to Trump’s ability to shape events, especially domestically. That three dozen Republicans opposed him on something as fundamental as the debt ceiling shows that he can only push his party so far.

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Rep. Nancy Mace, a Trump supporter who voted against him in the final passage — told me on Sunday’s Media Buzz that it’s because she wants to keep the debt ceiling.

But with the GOP clinging to a 1-vote margin in the House, for now the cauldron of campaign rhetoric faces the cold, hard math of getting to 218.

Democrats need to ask themselves if it’s worth negotiating with the other side if they’re just creating a target for Trump’s demolition derby.

It was Elon Musk who tweeted first about how bad the original bill was — at Trump’s suggestion — and after more than 70 tweets (including some untruths), the new president is drawn into the fray.

Over the weekend, Trump denied ceding his presidential powers to his billionaire friend and half-mockingly said Musk could never be president:

“You know why? He wasn’t born in this country. Hahaha.”

A favorite game in the media lounge is whether two strong-willed people will end up fighting.

For now, however, Trump’s tough talk on Greenland and the Panama Canal shows that he’s most comfortable playing the offensive line, even if it doesn’t produce anything.

In other news:

— House Ethics report says Matt Gaetz “regularly” paid women for sex, including with an underage girl, and used illegal drugs.

In 2017, the former attorney general candidate “engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl,” which was also paid.

Gaetz “repeatedly” used or possessed illegal drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, and also accepted lucrative gifts, such as transportation and lodging in the Bahamas.

“Many of the women the commission spoke with were clear that there was a general expectation of sex,” and one woman told the commission that Gaetz paid her more than $5,000 and that sex was involved “99 percent of the time.”

The committee said Gaetz was “uncooperative” and “knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct the committee’s investigation into his conduct.” The Justice Department investigated but did not press charges.

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Gaetz also abused House resources when he had his chief of staff “help a woman with whom he had a sexual relationship obtain a passport by falsely representing to the US State Department that she was biracial . . .

“There was substantial evidence that Rep. Gaetz violated House rules, state and federal laws and other standards of conduct that prohibit prostitution, statutory rape, use of illegal drugs, acceptance of illegal gifts, granting of special favors and privileges, and obstruction of Congress.”

If Gaetz was still in the race for AG, this would blow him out of the water.

Gaetz says, “I was charged with nothing: COMPLETELY ACQUITTED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me. Then, the very ‘witnesses’ that the DOJ deemed not credible were brought together by House Ethics to repeat their claims in absentia no cross-examination or challenge by me or my lawyers. I was never sued.” He says he even sent money women he did not date.

— A persistent Dallas Express reporter discovered what happened to Texas Rep. Kay Granger, who “disappeared” a few months ago. He found her and got her certified in a care facility that specializes in dementia and other memory problems. She made a statement about her health challenges that completely missed the point: How could she not tell her constituents about it? Why did she insist on hiding it? There would be enormous sympathy for her. Instead, the congresswoman kept everything shrouded in secrecy.

— Actress Blake Lively has been the target of an online smear campaign, as indicated by texts and emails that openly discuss planting stories to destroy her reputation, warning that it must remain a secret because they can’t very well admit that they are trying to “bury” her. – You know we can bury anyone.

Lively obtained the documents through legal proceedings against her co-star and director Justin Baldoni, and they were reviewed by the New York Times. She alleges sexual harassment, saying Baldoni and others routinely entered her trailer unannounced when she was topless, such as removing makeup or breastfeeding.

Studio Wayfarer said the company and its PR people “did nothing proactive or retaliatory” against the actress, accusing her of “another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation.”

Lively says Baldoni tried to add unnecessary sex scenes, improvised an unwanted kiss and discussed his sex life, including instances where he may not have received consent. Another team member showed her a video of his wife naked.

It’s sad that things like this happen all the time. We accidentally got the goods this time, with Lively being portrayed as tough, deaf and violent.

–The Daily Mail reported that Jeff Bezos will marry his fiancee Lauren Sanchez this weekend in a $600 million extravaganza in Aspen.

The founder of Amazon, who owns the Washington Post, says it’s nonsense:

“This whole thing is completely bogus – none of this is happening…

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“The old adage ‘don’t believe everything you read’ is truer today than it’s ever been. Now lies can go ENTIRELY around the world before the truth gets its pants on. So be careful people and don’t be gullible.”

Good for Jeff for fighting back against the bullshit story.