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THE RAGEBAIT DOCTRINE
Donald Trump’s ragebaiting has officially gone too far, America’s allies warn. Some say the damage could be permanent.
Everyone knows that breaking up with someone via social media is lame. Everyone except President Donald Trump, who seems to be trying to cut ties with Europe in a series of surreal posts on Truth Social. He published a map of the Western Hemisphere depicting Canada [ [link removed] ] as part of the United States. The White House tweeted an image [ [link removed] ] of Trump staking an American flag in Greenland. And like a toxic ex, Trump just leaked text messages [ [link removed] ] from French President Emmanuel Macron. “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” Macron wrote.
Trump’s threat to Greenland is now prompting foreign leaders to warn that serious, long-term damage has already been done to the most important political alliance of the past century. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen called for “permanent [ [link removed] ]” independence from the United States, raising that prospect that NATO — the world’s largest defensive military pact — could crumble. Macron warned about “shifting to a world without rules. [ [link removed] ]” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described a “rupture [ [link removed] ]” in the world order.
It only took one year for Trump to trash America’s relationship with its closest allies. I asked one senior European official how he’s doing. It “feels like it’s been a long year — and we are just in mid-January,” he responded. So relatable.
The only person having a worse day than the Europeans is House Speaker Mike Johnson. He gave a historic address to the British parliament, which was originally intended to celebrate the two countries’ relationship amid America’s 250th anniversary. Instead, Johnson launched a futile attempt to “calm the waters [ [link removed] ]” between the U.S. and Europe. Even MAGA ally Nigel Farage wasn’t sold [ [link removed] ], accusing Trump’s team of launching “a very hostile act” against their allies.
Trump’s foreign adventurism seems to be all vibes, no strategy.
Trump’s threats have created a crisis atmosphere among global elites gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (where Trump himself is due to arrive tomorrow). The president’s top lieutenants have tried, and failed, to explain his thinking. Commerce Secretary Howark Lutnick received stony silence and visible cringe [ [link removed] ] when he tried to tell a panel: “The Western Hemisphere is vital for the United States of America.”
What is Trump thinking? He seems to really want Greenland. But he’s not thinking strategically, and enjoys making European counterparts “squirm,” one senior administration official told What A Day.
“He’s not trying to play some Machiavellian game with the Europeans. He’s a little bit of a bully, as we know, and he sort of pokes at them and they squirm. He’s entertained by it, and he just sees them as weak,” the official said. “They always take the bait from him.”
Trump’s foreign policy rationale may be equally simple: “I think people over-intellectualize what he’s trying to do. He wants the country to be strong and powerful,” the official said. “That’s, you know, how he sees it.”
Trump’s threat to slap fresh tariffs on Europe over Greenland prompted U.S. stocks to fall [ [link removed] ] 2 percent for their worst day since October. Sooo… when are those tariff checks coming [ [link removed] ]?
ICE COLD
The Trump administration is ramping up its attack on Minnesota.
The Department of Justice sent subpoenas [ [link removed] ] to a series of local officials, including Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and the state’s Attorney General Keith Ellison. The DOJ is reportedly probing whether they impeded the work of immigration officials through their public statements.
ICE is still marauding through Minneapolis, two weeks after an agent gunned down Renee Good, a mother of three. A Laotian man described armed agents barging into his home and dragging him into the snow — while he was wearing only shorts and Crocs.
“I was praying. I was like, God, please help me, I didn’t do anything wrong. Why do they do this to me? Without my clothes on,” the man, a naturalized citizen, told Reuters. DHS said the man was detained because he matched a description of one of their targets.
As ICE rounds up thousands of migrants, Congress looks ready to write the agency another huge check.
Lawmakers released the text [ [link removed] ] of a bipartisan agreement that would fund the federal government ahead of its January 30 shutdown deadline. That bill keeps ICE funding at $10 billion, and gives DHS $40 million to put body cams on agents, provide agents with more conflict training, and enhance oversight of detention facilities.
WHAT ELSE? 👀
Donald Trump posted more than 6,000 times [ [link removed] ] on Truth Social over the course of his first year back in office, and surprise surprise, many of his anxiety-inducing promises turned out to be bullshit. He did not, in fact, take away Rosie O’Donnell’s citizenship, send Americans $2,000 checks, or impose an iPhone tariff on Apple. There’s a reason they call it TACO [ [link removed] ]: Trump Always Chickens Out!
Trump’s Department of Justice is considering [ [link removed] ] rolling back gun regulations, according to the Washington Post. Those measures could involve easing restrictions on shipping guns, loosening rules on privately selling guns, and requiring buyers to list their biological sex at birth on forms.
Interested in joining Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace? [ [link removed] ] That’ll cost you $1 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. The multinational board will aim to mediate other conflicts around the world, according to a charter obtained by the outlet. If you have any doubts about this “peace board,” just know that Trump even invited [ [link removed] ] Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to join — along with the even more autocratic and ridiculous [ [link removed] ] leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
Israeli authorities began destroying parts [ [link removed] ] of a United Nations compound in Jerusalem, which houses the main aid organization that assists Palestinians. “These terror supporters are being kicked out of here,” said far-right Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Second Lady Usha Vance announced that she’s pregnant. [ [link removed] ] “JD is trying to squash the Erika Kirk rumors [ [link removed] ] I see,” one of my friends texted in a group chat.
LIGHT AT THE END… ☀️
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) took some creative shots [ [link removed] ] at Donald Trump over his European shenanigans. “I can’t take this complicity of people rolling over. I should have brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders,” Newsom told reporters at Davos. “Trump is a T-Rex. You mate with him or he devours you, one or the other, and you need to stand up to it.” I don’t love that mental image, but okay, I get the idea!
Two federal judges separately moved [ [link removed] ] to oust Lindsey Halligan, Trump’s hand-picked U.S. attorney who led the charge against former FBI Director James Comey. “This charade of Ms. Halligan masquerading as the United States Attorney for this District in direct defiance of binding court orders must come to an end,” one judge wrote, dropping a metaphorical mic.
Australian lawmakers passed anti-hate speech [ [link removed] ] and gun safety laws, including a government-funded firearm buyback program, after the deadly Bondi beach shooting last year.
A new experimental drug from the maker [ [link removed] ] of Keytruda is showing positive signs in fighting against cancer, according to researchers.
Americans are catching onto a German phenomenon [ [link removed] ] called lüften, the practice of airing out your home at certain times during the day. But to Germans’ horror, the newly initiated have a fresh name for the act: “house burping.” I’m with the Germans on this one. House burping??? Come on, we can do better than that.
I’m normally skeptical of TMZ’s paparazzi reporting [ [link removed] ], [ [link removed] ] but sometimes they have something interesting. Consider this scoop of William Shatner eating cereal in his car. “Despite going oat of his way for breakfast on wheels, the all-time Captain James T. Kirk didn’t look frazzled at all ... he calmly scooped up a big ol’ spoonful, opened wide, and fully enjoyed all that fiber making its grand entrance,” the outlet writes. Great news meets great news reporting!...
An Austrian cow named Veronika appears to be [ [link removed] ] the first cow to ever use a tool, after she was filmed holding a long brush in her mouth — to scratch her back. “There are around 1.5 billion heads of cattle in the world, and humans have lived with them for at least 10,000 years. It’s shocking that we’re only discovering this now,” one researcher told CNN. Do cows wait to do cool things until we’re not looking? You can’t rule it out….
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