Trump’s Delusional Plan To Take Greenland Makes Us The Bad Guys

Summary

Bulwark Takes: Trump’s Delusional Plan To Take Greenland Makes Us The Bad Guys Release Date: March 28, 2025

In this incisive episode of Bulwark Takes, hosts Tim Miller and J.V. Lopez delve into the escalating tensions surrounding the United States' controversial efforts to annex Greenland. With sharp analysis and a critical eye, the episode unpacks the geopolitical maneuvers, international reactions, and the broader implications for NATO and global alliances.

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1. Introduction: Escalating Tensions Over Greenland

Tim Miller opens the episode by highlighting the extraordinary developments in U.S. foreign policy aimed at Greenland. He emphasizes the gravity of the situation, stating, “Today, our country, the United States, is sending three top officials to Greenland as part of our neocolonial effort to seize the country, I guess” (00:00). This sets the stage for a deep dive into what the hosts describe as an "insane" move by the Trump administration.

2. U.S. Mission to Greenland: An Aggressive Push for Control

The discussion begins with a play-by-play of a recent ABC World News Tonight segment, where a high-level American delegation led by Vice President J.D. Vance is dispatched to Greenland. Tim Miller references President Trump's assertive stance: “President Trump insisting the U.S. will quote, 'Go as far as we have to go to gain control of the island'” (00:58). The hosts dissect the administration’s argument that previous U.S. policies have neglected Greenland, positioning U.S. ownership as beneficial due to the island's rich rare earth materials and strategic location amidst climate-induced emerging sea lanes.

3. Local Resistance: Greenlanders and Danish Pushback

The episode underscores the robust resistance from Greenlanders and Denmark, which, according to Miller, is more vigorous than any domestic opposition within the United States. J.V. Lopez mocks the U.S. approach, comparing it to “Lehman's Lebensraum” (01:43) and critiques the Vice President’s rhetoric: “If we need it for national security and international security, Tim, then that's a line in the sand, isn't it?” (02:21). The hosts highlight the Greenlanders' rejection of Trump’s plans, with the Foreign Minister asserting that Vice President Vance would face hostile chants, “Yankee, go home” (00:58).

4. International Implications: Putin's Surprising Support

A pivotal moment in the episode is the analysis of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks supporting U.S. claims on Greenland. Lopez points out the alarming parallel to Russia’s stance on Ukraine: “Vladimir Putin is advancing American foreign policy interests according to his own lights” (05:47). Tim Miller interprets this as Putin viewing the U.S. actions as akin to Russian aggression, thereby threatening NATO's integrity and posing a direct challenge to allied nations.

5. Criticism from Allies: Rufus Gifford’s Protest

Adding depth to the critique, the episode features a segment from Rufus Gifford, a former U.S. ambassador to Denmark. Gifford passionately condemns Vice President Vance’s statements, stressing the longstanding cooperation between the U.S. and Denmark: “For them to hear today that now the vice president of the United States is saying that they are not a good ally... It is just shameful” (07:51). He implores Americans to “show outrage” towards the administration’s stance, underscoring the moral and strategic failures of the current policies.

6. The Second Lady’s Cultural Visit: A Ill-Fitting Gesture

The hosts humorously critique Second Lady Usha Vance’s planned cultural visit to Greenland. Tim Miller mocks the incongruity of her diplomatic gestures amidst aggressive policy moves, noting the irony of her educational background being subtly highlighted: “It's not Al Gore. Life in Balance. It's an Al Gore climate change book” (13:40). This segment underscores the dissonance between the administration’s public relations efforts and their underlying motives.

7. Analysis of U.S. Officials’ Behavior: A Threatening Presence

Tim and J.V. Lopez express deep concern over the presence of top U.S. officials, including the National Security Advisor, at Greenland’s military installations. They liken the actions to “gunboat diplomacy” and question the implications for NATO: “NATO's a member state threatening another member state with annexation” (17:33). The discussion highlights the fragility of international alliances and the potential for internal discord within NATO as a result of U.S. actions.

8. Domestic Concerns: ICE's Operation and Broader Implications

The episode briefly touches upon a domestic issue involving ICE’s seizure of a Russian national, suggesting possible ulterior motives tied to broader geopolitical strategies: “Is the position in the United States now that we're going to do favors for Putin and ship people that he wants to kill back to Russia for him?” (22:05). This segment reflects broader anxieties about U.S. governmental actions and their alignment with authoritarian practices.

9. Conclusion: The United States as Global Adversary

In wrapping up, Tim Miller and J.V. Lopez lament the transformation of the United States' global image: “We're at the point where we're the bad guys” (16:58). They draw parallels to historical atrocities, such as actions reminiscent of the Viet Cong and interrogation-like tactics, emphasizing the rapid shift in how the U.S. is perceived internationally. The hosts express uncertainty about the future of U.S. foreign policy and NATO, urging listeners to remain vigilant as these high-stakes maneuvers continue to unfold.

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Notable Quotes:

• Tim Miller (00:00): “Today, our country, the United States, is sending three top officials to Greenland as part of our neocolonial effort to seize the country, I guess.”

• J.V. Lopez (01:43): “It's not a Christopher Guest movie. It's real and it's spectacular.”

• President Trump (02:17): “We need Greenland for national security and international security. So we'll, I think, we'll go as far as we have to go.”

• Rufus Gifford (07:51): “For them and their families to now hear the vice president talk like this is just heartbreaking.”

• J.V. Lopez (17:33): “NATO's a member state threatening another member state with annexation.”

• Tim Miller (16:58): “We're at the point where we're the bad guys.”

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Bulwark Takes presents a compelling critique of the Trump administration’s aggressive stance on Greenland, highlighting significant geopolitical tensions and questioning the future of international alliances. Tim Miller and J.V. Lopez provide a thorough examination of the situation, blending factual reporting with sharp commentary to underscore the complexities and potential ramifications of the United States' pursuit of Greenland.

For listeners seeking a critical perspective on U.S. foreign policy and its global consequences, this episode offers a detailed and thought-provoking analysis.

Transcript

[Tim Miller]

Hey everybody, it's Tim Miller from the Bulwark here with my colleague jvl. We want to go deep on this Greenland story because it is insane what is happening right now. Today, our country, the United States, is sending three top officials to Greenland as part of our neocolonial effort to seize the country, I guess. Meanwhile, the Greenlanders and people of Denmark have been pushing back aggressively, much more aggressively than the opposition here in our own country. So we want to give you a play by play of everything that's happened, but to kind of set the tone for that. Jvl, I want to play for you a real life ABC World News Tonight segment that aired last night. A high level American delegation led BY Vice President J.D. vance is heading to Greenland. President Trump insisting the U.S. will quote, Go as far as we have to go to gain control of the island. ABC senior national correspondent Terry Moran is there. And Terry, this has really become a high stakes visit. Yeah.

[Terry Moran]

This is a dramatic moment in the struggle for Greenland. Vice President Vance is going to be visiting a US Space Force base in the far north of Greenland. But his message is much bigger. The administration is arguing that Greenland, which is part of Denmark, has been neglected by the Danes and by previous US Administrations and Greenlanders would be better off under US Ownership. This is a wild land. It's rich in rare earth materials and it sits along strategic sea lanes that are opening up from climate change. And Russia and China see that too. Right now, most Greenlanders reject Trump's goals. The foreign Minister saying that if the Vice President visits a town here, he'll be greeted by chants of Yankee, go home.

[Tim Miller]

This is a dramatic moment in the struggle for Greenland. The struggle for Greenland, that's a thing.

[Jvl]

It's not a Christopher Guest movie. It's real and it's spectacular. You know, this is, I guess America just needs some living space. The Germans have a word for this. Lehman's Lebensraum. Maybe that's all we just need. So Donald Trump said today, quote, we need Greenland for national security and international security. So we'll, I think we'll go as far as we have to go.

[Tim Miller]

We need Greenland for national security and international security.

[Jvl]

So we'll, I think we'll go as far as we have to go. I mean, if we need it for national security and international security, Tim, then that's a line in the sand, isn't it? It's not a. This is a nice to have. We think it would be really good for us to be able to get some rare earth minerals. You know, he's laid down a marker. If he doesn't do it, he's putting America's national security at risk. Right.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah. And I mean, and if you're. Greenland, obviously, good reason to fear this. The population of Greenland here in Louisiana, you probably haven't even heard of these cities. It's about the size of Monroe, Louisiana, or Bossier City. It's not smaller than Lake Charles. Smaller. Smaller than Lafayette. I mean, like, it's a very. It's a very small country. Obviously, if America decided. I don't know what that would mean as far as going as far as we have to, but that's a very intimidating threat to make to Greenland in the context of the Vice President, the second lady, and now the National Security advisor being there later today. The other thing that happens, what's the.

[Jvl]

National Security Advisor doing there? Right. I mean, it's propos. Again, there is no way to, to spin that except as a threat. Right. This is. I mean, this is like the old gunboat diplomacy. You know, why do you go and park a battleship three miles off the coast of, you know, some banana republic? And you do it because you're letting them know that they got to do what you want or else.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah.

[Jvl]

In sending the, the NSA there, I mean, that's, it's ridiculous. And you know, what Putin said today.

[Tim Miller]

Or say, you know, who knows a little something about this kind of diplomacy? Putin, you tell me. I didn't, I didn't. I haven't seen it.

[Jvl]

Okay, so on Thursday, Vladimir Putin was in Murmansk and he just. He was speaking at a policy forum and he had some things to say about America's designs on Greenland, and he basically vouched for US Interests. And he said that, look, America has had a long history of claims on Greenland, and it all makes perfect sense. And here's, here's the quote. It can look surprising only at first glance. And it would be wrong to believe that this is some sort of extravagant talk by the current US Administration. It's obvious that the United States will continue to systematically advance its geostrategic military, political and economic interests in the Arctic. You know, it's just Vladimir Putin is talking about the US And Greenland the way he talks about Russia and Ukraine. Yeah, right. He says this is the Ukraine. The Russians have a historical claim on the land of Ukraine. Ukraine's not even really a country. And so, you know, it's in their interest. They need to have it. And from Putti Put's perspective in America's, the samesies with Greenland we're now in a place where Vladimir Putin is advancing American foreign policy interests according to his own lights. And we are threatening NATO treaty members.

[Tim Miller]

Correct. And Vladimir Putin sees this more clearly than people in our country, a lot of whom are treating this as a joke. He sees what has happened. And I just want to tick through this all for everybody for the week because you might think this is like some big troll or whatever, but how, how would you look at this? If you're Denmark or if you're Greenland, this series events, you have no choice but to take it deadly seriously. To see it the same way that, that Putin is seeing it, I guess, is that this is a legitimate effort for America to try to seize the country of Greenland. So, like, obviously, Trump's been talking about this for a while, but I just want to go through what's happened this week. JD's on the Sunday shows on Maria Bartiromo, and he says this about his explanation for why we are making advances on Greenland.

[J.D. Vance]

Denmark, which controls Greenland, it's not doing its job and it's not being a good ally. So you have to ask yourself, how are we going to solve that problem, solve our own national security if that means that we need to take more territorial interest in Greenland? That is what President Trump is going to do because he doesn't care about what the Europeans scream at us. He cares about putting the interests of America's citizens first.

[Tim Miller]

So JD says that Denmark is not doing its job and not being a good ally. Tis tis Denmark. Have you said thank you lately? Tis tisk.

[Jvl]

When's less time?

[Tim Miller]

Like, it doesn't even make sense. Like, what is he. Like he doesn't give any proof for it. Denmark spent 2 1/2% last year on defense. They're going to spend over 3% this year. That's way above the NATO target that Trump always obsesses over that they aren't paying their fair share. Like, what is he even talking about? This is nothing except just a threat or a shakedown. Okay, then on top of that, Denmark has also sent troops in harm's way on behalf of us. I want to play a clip from Rufus Gifford, friend of mine. He's a former ambassador to Denmark and he was talking about this on his social media earlier this week.

[Rufus Gifford]

Hi, all. Okay, so to say I'm a bit worked up this morning is an understatement, and that's because of this. Yesterday, the vice President of the United States States goes on Fox News and says that Denmark is not a very good ally. Now, I know that a lot of people would know how I feel about this. But I want to tell you why. And it is in part because, yes, I was the one for a number of years that would go to the prime minister or the foreign minister or the defense minister and ask on behalf of the United States government for them to send their young men and women to Iraq to fight isis, to help go remove chemical weapons from Syria, to go fight Ebola in Africa. I did it every time. And every single time, they said yes. And they said yes without hesitation. And in part because it was the United States of America, a great ally, asking them to do it. And for them to hear today that now the vice President of the United States is saying that they are not a good ally when they have lost more people per capita young men and women in Afghanistan than any country other than the United States of America. It is just shameful. I have been to these funerals. I've heard stories of young men who've had their legs blown off by IEDs in Afghanistan, of young men who have had to go through numerous surgeries and now live in constant pain because of something that happened to them on the battlefield.

[Tim Miller]

For.

[Rufus Gifford]

For them and their families to now hear the vice president talk like this is just heartbreaking. And honestly, Americans, we have to show outrage to our European partners. This is shameful, and this is a moral shortcoming. And honestly, look, we understand that the reason he's saying it is because they are not bowing, bending the knee to Trump's authoritarian, imperialistic takeover of Greenland. We get that. But at some point, this is about something so much bigger. This is about the men and women. I hope that J.D. vance could say this not just to the face of Maria Bartiromo, but go to Denmark and say that to the face of the parents of the young men and women who've lost their lives alongside US Troops. Say it to them, and then you will have just an ounce of courage, of courage. But until then, it is just shameful. And look, Americans, we need to show a little outrage here. Our partners and allies expect it from us, and they deserve better. Thanks.

[Tim Miller]

So this is the ambassador, Denmark. He's saying, what are you talking about? They haven't been a good ally. They have been a good ally. We've gone to them and asked them, will you put Danish young men and women in harm's way on behalf of America and American interests? They've said, yes. What have we ever done for Denmark? But so. But like, I don't know. I don't know what j. I mean, what does J.D. vance want? Is there even an ask here? Is this just simply JD Vance, like, being a condescending prick and trying to push him around?

[Jvl]

No, I. I mean, who know? Here's the thing. The American claim on Greenland exists purely in the mind of Donald Trump. You notice this vital national security interest. Did you hear about it in, in the first, the first administration? Like, we talked about it for like two days, right? And then he stopped talking. Like, why, why didn't, why didn't we pursue it throughout all those four years if it was so vital? And the minute he back burners it, then everyone will be like, yeah, Greenland, whatever. We were just kidding. Look at you suckers. We got you to think we were serious about annexing Greenland, right? Isn't this how it's government by troll?

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, I guess so. But I mean, their trolls eventually, like, become real, right? I mean, like the 2020 election fraud was a troll for a while. Like, oh, yeah, like, this is. This is how these guys work. So, you know, I don't. I guess you should go without saying, but like, the party being a bad ally here is the one that is threatening their ally for no reason over nothing. So anyway, so this is Sunday again. Imagine you're Matt Frederiksen, your leader of Denmark, and you're just kind of watching this all unfold. Here's the US Vice President on Sunday randomly insulting you, saying that you're a bad ally. Fast forward a day later, his wife, second lady, announces that she is going on a cultural visit. And one of the most awkward videos that I've ever seen in my life. That really could be a Christopher Guess video. Let's play that.

[J.D. Vance]

Hello.

[Usha Vance]

I'm so excited to share that I'll be visiting Kalali Una Greenland next weekend. I'm particularly thrilled to visit during our national dog sled race, which our country is proud to support as a sponsor. I've been reading all about it with my children, and I'm amazed by the incredible skill and teamwork that it takes to participate in this race. I'm also coming to celebrate the long history of mutual respect and cooperation between our nations and to express hope that our relationship will only grow stronger in the coming years. I look forward to meeting many of you soon and to learning from you about your beautiful land, culture and traditions. See you soon.

[Tim Miller]

Okay. That's Usha. My favorite part of the video. Did you catch it, Javier? Did you catch my favorite part? In the back corner behind her is a book. Do you know what book it is?

[Jvl]

Oh, boy.

[Tim Miller]

It's not Al Gore. Life in Balance. It's an Al Gore climate change book. And the whole thing is, again, it's just, it's veep. It's like what? She can't even read. She's got this climate change book behind her. The second lady is going to come to a dog racing thing right after my husband has Saber rattled. Ridiculous. Right? Then you fast forward a couple days later, the Vice President himself says he's coming. Let's watch.

[J.D. Vance]

Hey guys, it's J.D. vance, the Vice President. And you know, there was so much excitement around Usha's visit to Greenland this Friday that I decided that I didn't want her to have all that fun by herself. And so I'm going to join her. I'm going to visit some of our guardians in the Space Force on the northwest coast of Greenland and also just check out what's going on with the security there of Greenland. As you know, it's really important. A lot of other countries have, have threatened Greenland, have threatened to use its territories and its waterways to threaten the United States, to threaten Canada, and of course to threaten the people of Greenland. So we're gonna check out how things are going there. And I say that speaking for President Trump. We wanna reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland because we think it's important to protecting the security of the entire world. Unfortunately, leaders in both America and in Denmark, I think, ignored Greenland for far too long. That's been bad for Greenland. It's also been bad for the security of the entire world. We think we can take things in a different direction. So I'm gonna go check it out.

[Tim Miller]

The excitement was so great, jbl that they've demanded him to come. But here's what actually happened in the meantime. This is a report from a Danish outlet, said that American representatives have been walking around Greenland. So not only, by the way, is the VP threatening them, not only is the second lady now saying that she's coming, the President's obviously been threatening them. We've got representatives on the ground. According to Danish journalists, that I don't know what Doge thinks about this as far as the efficiency and use of our money, but they're walking around knocking on doors, asking if people might be interested in a visit from Usha. It's like there was this advance team, I guess, that said we're gonna go try to find some friendly green lenders and everybody is like, no fucking pound guys.

[Jvl]

One person, one person who's willing to be in the same room as this woman they weren't able to find it.

[Tim Miller]

Pound ice.

[Jvl]

They weren't able to. And I understand it's a small country, but still, you know, like in any population of 40,000 people, you'll find somebody who believes in aliens or something. Right. You should be able to find one person who's like, yeah, I'd like to meet her. Seems like a nice lady the house.

[Tim Miller]

We can have tea. Do they do tea in Greenland? I don't know what they do.

[Jvl]

Have some narwhal Blubber.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, some blubber.

[Jvl]

Well, you know, I'll braid your harsh kaboobin.

[Tim Miller]

You think? No. So what had been initially announced, maybe play some flugelball as a three day cultural visit by usha. She needs the husband to come and now that's all been abandoned and they're going to travel just themselves together for a one day visit to a sealed off military base. And as mentioned at the top, they're bringing along the National Security Advisor.

[Jvl]

National Security advisor. Right. I mean maybe they're going to look at the fortifications, see, see what the armory looks like. Right? Be like, like a Christy Gnome checking out the armory of the El Salvador and supermax present, you know, looking at the rifles and nodding her head. Yeah.

[Tim Miller]

Oh, that's a good one.

[Jvl]

I Tim, I don't want to be too serious here. No, this is serious anymore.

[Tim Miller]

What is not serious about the National Security Advisor and the Vice President going to a military installation in Greenland after repeated threats at their sovereignty.

[Jvl]

So like how is NATO supposed to survive this?

[Tim Miller]

It's unsurvivable. And it's already dead.

[Jvl]

I mean, NATO's a member state threatening another member member state with annexation. I mean, I, I just, I don't know what to, I don't know what to say or do. And all I do know though is if you're the French or the Brits or the Germans, you've got to look at this and start to believe that not only is the United States not your ally anymore, but they are a potential adversary now.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, I mean, I think if I'm the Brits, I'm doing a flyover while J.D. vance and Michael Waltz are there. Right. It's like, you know, and what would you be doing if Putin had sent, you know, an like his security attache and the, whoever the fake vice premier is, who's the drunk guy that used to be president and sends mean tweets all the time now, like sending that guy and the security, like to Greenland, you know, that would be a real, like there would be real NATO. It would Feel like they'd have to do something.

[Jvl]

I mean, France, France has a bunch of boomers. France's nukes are on. Are on nuclear. Nuclear submarines, ballistic subs. Maybe one of them wanted is like pop up off the coast of coast of Greenland over the this weekend and just wave high. Tim, we're. We're at the point where we're the bad guys. And I, I mean, I don't know about you, but I don't quite know how to. I don't quite know how to live with that. You know, like, how do you internalize that? Like, I don't know. I wrote today about, you know, we did. We had. We had masked federal agents, not in uniforms, yanking a woman off the streets. This week up in Boston, we have the Secretary of Homeland Security posing in front of prisoners who have been forced to stand at attention in a cage so that she can have a nice backdrop for her for her video. Like, this is just like what the Viet Cong did. This is. I, I don't like. I just get this sense that things are moving very, very, very fast and that nobody else sees it.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, well, I mean, everyone else is, I think, just very Pollyanna. And they're making a bet that I just don't know how you can make right now that's possible. It's not a zero percent chance they're right, but that just. This is kind of a brinksmanship of its own. Like that Trump. And Trump was just. Is backing down, right? Like that this is all. It's a bet that it's all kayfabe, right. That it's all WWE and that, like, they're gonna do the Greenland thing is just. This week's Monday Night Raw and next week's Monday Night Raw will be something else. And that they're like, when push comes to shove on tariffs on this, on disappearing actual citizens, that they're gonna, you know, step away from the brink, that they'll step away from the cliff and they're just going to do the showy stuff. I mean, that's, that's the best case scenario. I just don't know how you get there right now when we're nine weeks in and this is off as far as we are already we're sending the National Security Advisor to threaten Greenland on Thursday night.

[Jvl]

Tim. We had reports in the media that a Russian national who's been living here on a visa in America, who's a professor up in Boston, was returning to Logan Airport from a conference abroad and was seized by ICE and sent to the Louisiana detention facility. We don't, we don't have confirmation as of when we're taping as to whether or not all the particulars of this are true.

[Tim Miller]

But this, this, there's some reports that might have been that she had some, some scientific materials that were, whatever, not, that were not customs approved.

[Jvl]

Louisiana A Putin critic. Yeah. Is the position in the United States now that we're going to do favors for Putin and ship people that he wants to kill back to Russia for him?

[Tim Miller]

We're about to find out the answer.

[Jvl]

Is that, is that what the United States government does now? Because I, I, I'm sorry, that's just evil. Like all this stuff is Stasi and I, to the extent that, I don't know, not everybody in America, but like 250 million Americans are walking around like it's all fine, you know, it'll all work out. I just don't understand how like I feel like I'm at DEFCON 3 already and as you said, we're only eight or nine weeks in. I don't know, man.

[Tim Miller]

I'm with you. I'm with you. I don't, I think it's, I don't know, it's too much to bear. And that is why I wanted to do this with you and you know, put it out there because I think that there's a way, there are basically two other ways to cover the Greenland story. The ABC way that we showed at the top, which is just like full straight down the middle. Straight down the middle. We're just going to treat this like it's any other news item like that. Like it's like just as if we were, you know, the Vice President was going to meet with the new leader of another country and we're going to have a bilat and a press conference and it's like the Vice President is pushing for our interest today in a meeting with the new leader of Romania. Right? Like it's like you could do it like that, you could do it joking. Like it's just like these fucking guys. Like, what a goof. Like what, how silly is this? Right? Or you can just look at the series events and say like this is a, this is at least a quasi serious effort to invade another country, invade another sovereign country. That is a lot that is associated with one of our treaty allies.

[Jvl]

So that's for purposes of simply pillaging it and taking its resources. Yeah, and that's the other thing, right? I mean this, this is no different really than Iraq, or it would be no different than Iraq invading Kuwait.

[Tim Miller]

Right? No. Right.

[Jvl]

Right.

[Tim Miller]

Correct. Well, this is another time we're on the side of the baddies. Okay, jvl. Another uplifting video. Good to see you. Hey, everybody. Subscribe to the feed. We'll be monitoring the visit today. And we'll maybe be back on to discuss if. I don't know. Mike Waltz puts the American flag in Greenland like he's Neil Armstrong. Who the hell knows what could happen? Whatever it is, we'll be here. We'll see y'all then.

[Jvl]

Good luck, America.