President Trump said he would talk to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about making Canada the 51st state. But the president said he didn’t expect it to get to the point of using military force — though he wouldn’t commit to the same for Greenland.

“Something could happen with Greenland, I’ll be honest,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that aired on Sunday.  He said that “we need that for national and international security,” but he added “I don’t see it with Canada. I just don’t see it.”

  • BotsRuinedEverything@lemmy.world
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    9 hours ago

    There is no way, in hell, that Trump plans on making Canadians into American citizens. Why would he add the equivalent of another California to the voting population. No Canadian will ever cast a vote in favor of the political party that took their country from them.

    What version of statehood is he envisioning here?

    The scariest part here is that the Republicans are acting, in every way, like they will never be subject to a legitimate vote again.

    • huppakee@lemm.ee
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      2 minutes ago

      It’s only rumours so far, but according to the new president nobody is going to vote ever again, soo

    • OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca
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      8 hours ago

      There is no way, in hell, that Trump plans on making Canadians into American voters citizens.

      We’ll be like Guam or Puerto Rico.

    • smayonak@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      They already answered this question. They would use procedural rules to prevent Canadian votes from mattering, the same as they have done in the US in many states.

    • Revan343@lemmy.ca
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      8 hours ago

      Making us citizens and giving us statehood are two different things, and I could see the former, but not the latter. Not that we would join willingly in the first place

      • Smoogs@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        Then he needs to stop calling it a 51st. A state can vote. A territory cannot.

        • epicstove@lemmy.ca
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          5 hours ago

          Do US territories legit get no representation in government?

          In Canada the territories are a riding, thus have a seat in Parliament (A massive one due to their small and spare population)

          • dryfter@lemm.ee
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            16 minutes ago

            No, only states do. Although territories have members in congress, they can’t vote on any legislation. They have a government set up by Congress and pretty much oversee themselves with no ability to influence elections or laws in the states. The last territory to become a state was Hawaii. Territories are land grabs, statehood comes after that.

            Canada would unfortunately be a land grab for the resources and nothing else for Trump. It would be ravaged and the people of Canada would suffer greatly for it without an ounce of ability to do anything about it.

    • TheProtagonist@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      The scariest part here is that the Republicans are acting, in every way, like they will never be subject to a legitimate vote again.

      I thought that’s the plan?!

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    9 hours ago

    The fact that he’s even entertaining this is insane. He needs to be removed from office. Fuck the media for reporting on it like this is just one side of an argument that makes any kind of sense.

  • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    7 hours ago

    “Something could happen”? Motherfucker, you either make it happen or not. It’s not something that’s bestowed upon us from the sky

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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    17 hours ago

    Both are a threat with violence and war to independent states, let there be no mistake.

    This should not just be condemned politically by every other country, they should boycot the usa

  • PattyMcB@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Reminder to the military: you are not required to follow illegal orders. In fact, you are duty-bound to disobey them

    • archonet@lemy.lol
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      24 hours ago

      I’m quite positive, whether he invades a sovereign nation or not, in some time – be it five years, ten, or more – we’ll have our own version of the Nuremberg trials. Whoever is still alive that perpetrated or participated in this rape of democracy will be held accountable, someday, because all dictatorships fall.

      The only question is how many people have to suffer before then.

      • neukenindekeuken@sh.itjust.works
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        19 hours ago

        It took a whole world war and everyone bagging on Germany/Japan for something like that to happen.

        In order for history to repeat, we’d need to have everyone in the world team up against the US.

        • archonet@lemy.lol
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          19 hours ago

          Not really, just for someone who comes after him to hold him and his cronies accountable. And there will be someone after him, sooner or later, that will. It might not be his immediate successor, or his successor’s successor. But people aren’t going to forget about this.

    • Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works
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      23 hours ago

      An invasion of Greenland, or Canada, wouldn’t necessarily be unlawful.

      Remember 9/11? Remember George Bush asking Congress to approve his use of military force to hunt down the suspects?

      Well that Authorization for the Use of Military Force, unlike any prior which had clearly defined limitations, was simply against “terror” and set to expire “never.”

      One member of Congress refused to vote for this, precisely because she understood that Congress was effectively forever giving up its ability to determine when and how the President was allowed to deploy the military. She got death threats. She was right.

      All Trump has to do is “find” a terrorist threat in a country, and he’s allowed to send US troops there. Remember how he recently decided that fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction? Yeah.

      • Smoogs@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        He’s already trying with the Mexican gang in Canada. Congress are well aware of this strategy and it has been a talking point one the floor. It’s actually been said that US is more a threat to Canada not the other way around. In which more fentanyl and illegal immigrants pass the border from the US to Canada. I mean he has that angle in which he can complain about the Mexican gang but then he has to also admit he is also responsible for putting them in Canada. Cuz the US is the only path to Canada from Mexico.

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        21 hours ago

        You’re thinking if us laws, but we’re talking about international law

        • Refurbished Refurbisher@lemmy.sdf.org
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          5 hours ago

          Lol, that was funny. The powerful in the US don’t even care about domestic law, let alone international law, which has even less of an enforcement mechanism without the risk of starting an international conflict.

          It’s the same reason why Netanyahu and Putin haven’t been arrested even though they have warrants out for their arrest by the ICJ.

        • ℍ𝕂-𝟞𝟝@sopuli.xyz
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          21 hours ago

          The US deliberately does not subject itself to international laws, because it breaks them routinely. It is a rogue state in that regard, and it did not start with Trump or even Bush.

  • danekrae@lemmy.world
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    23 hours ago

    Threatening war on an ally, a member of the EU and UN; while helping the enemy.

    That’s not what a russian asset would do…

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        20 hours ago

        Well shit… I don’t know how I did not see this angle. He doesn’t even have to deal with the back lash of dead US soldiers for a war nobody in their right mind will support… he just needs to present a legitimate enough threat to divide NATO forces. For fucks sake, I can’t wait for the morning I wake up to find out he is dead. Edited a word

  • Hikuro-93@lemmy.world
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    US could do that, sure.

    But I bet it’d quickly find out just how much of its power, safety and bravado is due to being located in a geographically safe and isolated area with no real hostile armies trying to end them from the other side of the border.

    Just how much of that willingness to fight comes from invading foreign underdeveloped territories across the sea, with little chance for the fight to make its way back to US cities and US civilians.

    Easy to start fights from the comfort of a distant home, sending only military lives into the far away battlefield.

    Something Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East can’t claim, as they have to contend with potentially bad neighbors due to all sorts of reasons.

    Go ahead, poke the bear, FAFO.

    • Smoogs@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      Trump doesnt care. In fact he’d welcome an invasion on his soil to attack the dems. Saves him from trying to convince the military to arrest citizens for not bending the knee.

    • shawn1122@lemm.ee
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      10 hours ago

      This is the real story of American ‘exceptionalism’ Its how the US was able to accrue so much wealth during WW2.

      Its easy to sit on the sidelines when you’re geographically isolated and not #1 though. The world order has changed (in fact they’re the ones who reshaped it) and now they are desperately trying to force their way back to the 1950s because they had unbelievable leverage and a incrediblely disproportionate share of global wealth following the war.

      In fact, I believe that’s in part why we’re seeing a backslide in human decency. A lot of less educated folk see that their parents and grandparents were more prosperous when they were racist, misogynist and transphobic and are acting as if going backwards in that regard will bring back the ‘good times’.

    • grue@lemmy.world
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      20 hours ago

      Greenland is part of Denmark, so attacking it ought to trigger NATO Article 5. I’m pretty sure NATO ex-US is capable of putting up a fight too, even if the 50k people who live in Greenland themselves could not.

        • smayonak@lemmy.world
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          8 hours ago

          They’re going to use the cia. Trump would use proxy forces to invade under the guise of assisting a rebellion. He can find an opposition political leader, declare him the leader (in this case, declare Greenland to be soverign from Denmark) and then absorb greenland.

          • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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            7 hours ago

            Nope, not possible.

            Everything would leak worse than hegseth because they all think it’s stupid and have more friends in Europe than here.

            The CIA would love to bring this regime down, they hate the worthless inbred southern fried junta more than anyone.

      • CobraChicken3000@lemmy.ca
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        1 day ago

        I mean, all of the might of United States military had trouble with the Afghani insurgents. Now, just imagine Canadian insurgents who speak the same language, look exactly like you, and know your history better than you do. No city in the continental United States will be safe.

        • Miles O'Brien@startrek.website
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          21 hours ago

          I’d be happy to join a Canadian foreign legion. I view protecting Canada from foreign aggression my patriotic duty as a fellow human being, and neighbor.

          Besides, once upon a time I swore an oath to protect my country from threats foreign and domestic, so I am honor bound to fight alongside Canada against the biggest threat the US has ever faced.

          I’m not sure how many Americans would join me, or how receptive Canadians would even be to a bunch of tacticool looking non-professionals with guns showing up and CLAIMING to want to help, but I’m positive there will be americans fighting back. Whether it’s on the front lines with guns, or with sabotage in the states, who can say.

          • MagicShel@lemmy.zip
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            20 hours ago

            I’m in my fifties so I have no illusions about my combat effectiveness, but I took that same oath and I would obey it in the same way for the same reasons. Plus I’m like 75 miles from the border. If the lines moved just a little afterward, I could wind up Canadian anyway.

            • FaceDeer@fedia.io
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              19 hours ago

              I suspect sabotage would be the best use of most American allies. Pipelines, power lines, railroads, bridges, America has plenty of those just lying around undefended. And many of them are a stiff breeze away from collapsing on their own anyway.

              Blowing up or burning down a few might not have much direct impact on America’s warfighting capabilities, but forcing the American military to divert huge amounts of manpower to protect all of that would. Not to mention increasing the likely-alreayd-extreme discontent at the government.

              And, of course, assassinations when you can manage it. (Ooh, this isn’t Reddit, I can say such things without being [ Removed ])

        • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Put up a fight?

          Nah, more like encourage our trash to attack, then slide in right behind them.

          We’d let the canadians help us give them what they deserve.

  • DBT@lemmy.world
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    23 hours ago

    If we need Greenland so bad how is it we’ve been just fine leaving them the fuck alone since forever?

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      The claim we need it for safety and security is bs considering we have probably more service members there than there are people in Nuuk.

      Its all about minerals, which we have no claim to. If Greenland were a territory, the federal government would have full control over the entire thing. US territories are modern day colonies basically

      • grue@lemmy.world
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        20 hours ago

        Other real (albeit idiotic) reasons might include Putin feeding Trump the idea of the US having control of the newly ice-free Northwest Passage, or just a sheer megalomaniacal desire to secure his legacy via territorial expansion.

  • lennee@lemm.ee
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    19 hours ago

    well, might need to fly some drones into american soldiers then

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        7 hours ago

        The only way they’d do it is that his birthday coincides on the same day they are celebrating a military anniversary.

        Otherwise they’d tell him to get stuffed.