The El Mencho Killing is Crazy! Dozens Dead, US Tourists Stranded, & Cartel Wars in Mexico Expected
PDS Published 02/23/2026
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The US helped kill Mexico’s most-wanted cartel boss and now dozens are dead and the violence may be about to get a whole lot worse.
He was known as El Mencho and he was the head of the Jalisco (Hah-lees-ko) New Generation Cartel, or CJNG.
But his real name was Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (AUDIO).
He was born in Mexico in 1966 and he moved to the US in the 1980s – where he was convicted for conspiracy to distribute heroin in 1994.
He then spent three years in prison, returned to Mexico, and briefly worked as a police officer before becoming “chief of hitmen” for the Milenio Cartel.[]
Which no longer exists but was at the time affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel.
The CJNG emerged from what was left of the Milenio Cartel in the 2010s.
And under El Mencho’s leadership it has become one of if not the most powerful cartel in Mexico – likely beating out the Sinaloa Cartel for the top spot.
With the US Drug Enforcement administration reporting that CJNG is “a key supplier of illicit fentanyl” and “one of main suppliers of cocaine” to the US but also has a presence in dozens of other countries.
And ultimately — according to the DEA — the CJNG “reaps billions of dollars in profit from the manufacture of illegal synthetic drugs.”
And with that, as early as 2018, you had Mexican authorities offering $1.7 million for information leading to El Mencho’s arrest.
With the US upping the ante in 2024– putting up a $15 million bounty for information leading to his arrest.
With this coming after El Mencho had already been indicted multiple times in the US.
Including in 2022 when he was charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl for importation into the country.
Under Trump 2.0 the State Department also sanctioned El Mencho and classified him and several other cartel leaders as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists.”
This, of course, as he designated CJNG and other cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
A move that became part of his justification for lethal strikes against boats in the Caribbean and Pacific he said without giving evidence were moving drugs – which are still going by the way, with more than a dozen killed in the past week alone.
But in any case, all this time, Trump has also been pressing Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to do more to target drug cartels – including by threatening to impose more tariffs or take unilateral military action. .
Sheinbaum has rejected the idea that the US might carry out strikes in the country.
And, in the past, she has even argued against the idea of strikes in general over concerns that it might just make matters worse.
But stuck between a rock and a hard place – and likely seeing how willing Trump is to take military action – she has taken a more direct approach to going after cartels and stepped up cooperation with the US.
With her even giving the U.S. military and the CIA the go-ahead to dramatically increase surveillance flights over Mexico to obtain cartel intelligence.
And then you had what happened this weekend….
Right, and I will say, the US wasn’t directly involved.
Mexican Special Forces “planned and executed” the operation, according to the country’s defense department, which also said that the aim had been to arrest El Mencho.
But during this mission, the department said, “Mexican military personnel were attacked, and in defense of their physical integrity, they repelled the aggression.”
With this reportedly resulting in the deaths of four suspected cartel members at the scene.
While three others were severely wounded and died while being airlifted to a hospital in Mexico city – including El Mencho.
Two other cartel members were also arrested and “various weapons and armored vehicles were seized, including rocket launchers capable of shooting down aircraft and destroying armored vehicles.”
And the statement also revealed that American authorities also provided “complementary information” within the “framework of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the United States.”
And with that, you had White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirming that the US “provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist” with the operation – adding:
“President Trump has been very clear — the United States will ensure narcoterrorists sending deadly drugs to our homeland are forced to face the wrath of justice they have long deserved.”
And while she didn’t say exactly what that intelligence was, you have had outlets reporting that it came from a new task force launched last month involving multiple government agencies and led by the US military.
And you had Mexico’s secretary of national defense also noting the role of US intelligence while saying El Mencho’s location was discovered through the romantic partner of one of his most trusted associates. []
But whatever the case may be, this operation, encouraged by the US, and potentially enabled by US intelligence? It triggered a wave of violence across the state of Jalisco and several other parts of the country.
With cartels setting buses and business on fire, putting up more than 250 roadblocks across twenty of Mexico’s thirty-two states, and clashing with security forces (BROLL: 0:35-0:40, BROLL: 0:16-0:21).
And with that, according to Mexico’s secretary of security and citizen protection, dozens of people were killed in six attacks against authorities.
Including “Twenty-five members of the National Guard, one prison guard, and one from the State Attorney General’s Office.”
With him also reporting that a woman died and that “30 criminals also lost their lives.” []
A lot of the chaos was concentrated in Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city and the capital of Jalisco, and the Mexican football association had to postpone four games.
Which obviously isn’t a big deal compared to people dying but it’s worth noting because Guadalajara is set to host multiple FIFA World Cup matches in just a few months.
And so now you have a lot of people asking whether that is really a good idea.
You may also have a lot of tourists rethinking their decision to visit as vacations turned into hours spent locked in rooms, hearing gunshots, and smelling smoke (BROLL: 0:03, BROLL: 0:30, BROLL: 0:10)
In the coastal resort city of Puerto Vallarta, one of the most popular destinations in Jalisco, all taxis and ride shares were suspended.
And you had several airlines — including American, United, and Air Canada — suspending flights to the city, leaving some tourists temporarily stranded.
With the US State Department urging Americans not only there but in much of the country — including several other popular vacation spots – to “shelter in place until further notices.” []
Several countries issued similar warnings to their citizens but I’m highlighting the US because that’s where I and many of you are but also because Americans make up the overwhelming majority of international tourists in Mexico.
Last year, for instance, more than 14 million US citizens flew into Mexico – with more than 1.2 million visiting Puerto Vallarta alone. []
Now, with all that, as of recording, the situation has seemingly calmed down, at least a bit.
Right, most of those blockades have been dismantled, and about 2,500 additional troops were deployed last night to Jalisco and neighboring states. []
But there are fears that this may only be about to get worse.
With one security consultant in the region telling CNN that the operation could trigger a new wave of violence across Mexico – explaining:
“This didn’t seem to be just an operation to capture ‘El Mencho,’ but to exterminate him, to use lethal force to bring him down.”
“In the criminal underworld, such actions are not simply overlooked.”
And with that, he claimed that they may be getting ready to wage a “total war against the Mexican State.”
With him further arguing that the current violence is meant to paralyze economic activity and impose a national and international image cost on the government. []
Another scenario is that El Mencho’s death leaves a leadership vacuum that could spark a war of succession.
With an Al Jazeera correspondent in Mexico explaining:
“There is no obvious successor to [El Mencho].”
“We could now see different regional bosses in the cartel start disputing for power.”
“We saw this happen before. When El Chapo was arrested, it eventually sparked a civil war between the different Sinaloa factions.” []
And with that, you you have that same security consultant also telling the New York Times:
“This is good for Washington, without a doubt, because what they are looking for is weakened cartels and a reduction of drug shipments.”
“This is bad news for Mexico because smaller cartels mean more violent cartels, and homicides and other crimes will rise.” []
Now, all that said, there are also concerns that the impact of this is ultimately going to be negligible.
With Mike Vigil, a former chief of international operations at the DEA, saying:
“Killing or capturing the head of the cartel is not really going to have a major impact. They have to go after the infrastructure, their logistics, the money laundering, their armed wings” – adding:
“And they have to do it quick and they have to do it efficiently, because if not, there is going to be hell to pay in terms of violence.” []
Vigil also argued that the Trump administration has done little to address the US side of the problem.
Right, for one, the guns and ammunition fueling cartel violence? They often come from the US.
And secondly, he said, the administration has made no real effort to reduce domestic drug demand – saying:
“If there is no demand or consumption, there’s not gonna be any cartels. It is a big problem.”
“But the Trump administration does nothing in terms of drug education, treatment of drug addiction – none of that.” []
But with that, you’ve had Trump simply responding to the operation by calling on Mexico to “step up their effort on Cartels and Drugs!”
So we’ll have to wait and see what the ultimate impact is and whether we see more of this kind of action from Mexico and to what extent the US continues to be involved.
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But speaking of foreign involvement, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee just said that Israel has a right to claim most of the Middle East.
At least according to the Bible.
Right, that’s what the Ambassador to Israel told Tucker Carlson during this absolutely wild interview.
And specifically, you had Huckabee — who is an Evangelical Christian — telling Carlson that he believes that God had given the land of Israel to the Jewish people.
And you had Carlson responding by questioning Huckabee about his interpretation of Bible verses from the book of Genesis:
CARLSON: “So let's go through this. You've appealed to Genesis. Genesis 15 says it's Abram — it's pre-Abraham, it's Abram — receives from God the news that his descendants will inherit the land. And you tell me, as the theologian, if I'm getting this wrong, but from the Euphrates to the Nile, I think that's right. And that would include like, basically the entire Middle East. That would be the Levant. So that would be Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon. It would also be big parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. I mean —”
HUCKABEE: “I’m not sure it would go that far. I mean, it would be a big piece of land.” 1:00:20 - 1:00:56
CARLSON: “Does Israel have the right to that land? Because you're appealing to Genesis. You're saying that's the original deed?”
HUCKABEE: “It would be fine if they took it all. But I don't think that's what we're talking about here today.” 1:01:50 - 1:02:04
HUCKABEE: “I think you're missing something because they're not asking to go back to take all of that, but they are asking to at least take the land that they now occupy, they now live in.” 1:02:34 - 1:02:45
With Huckabee going on to repeatedly claim that Israel doesn’t want to take over all those countries… at least yet:
CARLSON: If Israel were to say, ‘God gave us in Genesis 15, all of Lebanon, all of Syria, all the way up to Iraq,’ would that be legitimate in your view?”
HUCKABEE: “I don't think in this particular day and time they're asking for it.”
CARLSON: “Would it be legitimate?”
HUCKABEE: “I'm not sure that it would be.”
CARLSON: “Why? Because you just said that God gave it to them.”
HUCKABEE: “Well, because I think that there is an understanding that the people of Israel today — now, if they end up getting attacked by all these places and they win that war and they take that land, then okay, that's a whole ‘nother discussion. But you and I started out —”
CARLSON: “So if they win it in a war its okay?” 1:05:04 - 1:05:44
Right, so, unsurprisingly, that got a ton of backlash, with numerous Arab governing bodies and countries — including the ones Carlson mentioned — issuing a joint statement condemning Huckabee’s remarks.
Calling the comments “dangerous and inflammatory,” claiming they endangered stability in the region, and arguing that they “directly contradict the vision put forward by U.S. President Donald J. Trump … based on containing escalation.”
You also had numerous countries calling the remarks a clear violation of international law, with that notably including big Trump allies in the region like Saudi Arabia, which slammed Huckabee's remarks as “extremist rhetoric” and called on the State Department to “clarify its position.” []
And with that, you had the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem responding by saying there hadn’t been a change in policy, while also essentially claiming that Huckabee’s comments had just been taken out of context, arguing:
“If one listens to the full context, Ambassador Huckabee clearly says that Israel has no desire to change their current boundaries.”
With Huckabee himself also going on the offensive by repeatedly shitposting about Tucker on X, and, at one point, seemingly accusing him of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories.[][][][]
But, beyond all that, you also had many experts noting that Huckabee’s inflammatory comments about the region come as Trump is teetering on the brink of starting an all-out war with Iran.
Right, as we’ve talked about many times before, Trump has repeatedly threatened possible military action against Iran if they don’t agree to a nuclear deal by a deadline that is now just days away.
And that was actually something Carlson also touched on in the interview, with him pressing Huckabee on the fact that many Americans — including plenty of Trump supporters — strongly oppose a U.S. war with Iran:
CARLSON: “Okay, so what percentage of Americans support a war with Iran?”
HUCKABEE: “ I don't know. Do you know?”
CARLSON: “I do. It's — I think it's around, I saw the numbers yesterday —I think it was like 21%. Is that enough to have a war with Iran?”
HUCKABEE: “We don't live in a world where you have a poll taken to find out whether our policy should be a particular direction because —”
CARLSON: “Oh, I thought you just said that we vote —”
HUCKABEE: “No, we care deeply about it. But on the other hand, do we make the decisions of foreign policy and even domestic policy based on what the latest poll number is?” 2:09:32 - 2:10:05
CARLSON: “So, you've got 350 million Americans — they voted in this last election on the basis, in part, of the promise no more wars. Okay. So, now we're about to have a war, looks like.” 2:10:17 - 2:10:26
With Tucker also going on to argue that Americans don’t think that Iran poses an imminent threat to the U.S., and that Trump is gearing up to start a war because Israel has been pressuring him to do so.
And, on that note, the same day the Huckabee interview came out, you had Trump telling reporters that he is actively considering launching a limited strike on Iran:
REPORTER: “Mr. President, are you considering a limited military strike to pressure Iran into a deal? Are you considering a limited strike, sir?”
TRUMP: “I guess I can say I am considering that.” 00:01 - 00:13
And then, just this morning, you had The New York Times reporting that Trump has told his advisors that he “will consider a much bigger attack in coming months intended to drive that country’s leaders from power” if Iran fails to agree to his demands after diplomacy or limited strikes.
With sources also telling the outlet that Trump has been leaning toward conducting an initial strike in the coming days in order to pressure Iran’s leaders into making a nuclear deal.
And that’s something that we could potentially see in a matter of days.
Right, negotiators from the United States and Iran are currently set to meet in Geneva this Thursday for what’s been described as “last-ditch negotiations to avoid a military conflict.”
So, in other words, it really seems like we will know by the end of the week whether or not we’re looking down the barrel of a full-blown war with Iran.
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And getting back to the news, Secret Service shot and killed an armed 21-year-old man just outside Trump’s place in Mar-A-Lago.
Right, around 1:30 in the morning on Sunday, 21 year old Austin Tucker Martin reportedly got through the gate of Mar-A-Lago carrying a fuel can and a shotgun.
And, in case it isn’t obvious, even though Trump wasn’t around at the time, this guy definitely wasn’t supposed to be there.
Martin made it about 20 years before being confronted by law enforcement - a deputy and 2 Secret Service agents to be specific.
The local sheriff said in a press conference that the agents told Martin to drop what he was holding and that’s when he, quote, “raised the shotgun to a shooting position.” []
They then fired on Martin and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
As of now, that’s pretty much all we know about the confrontation itself - we don’t know how many shots were fired or who among the agents and officer actually pulled the trigger. []
But there is an investigation underway and we know that the officials involved were wearing body cameras.
And the Secret Service agents have been placed on administrative leave while the investigation takes place. []
As for the intruder himself, we know that he’s from North Carolina and he was reported missing Saturday by his mother. []
The New York Times spoke to some of his former classmates from high school - who described him as a smart, quiet, conservative guy. []
Adding that while he did talk about his opinions, came from a pro-Trump family, and was even in the ROTC - he wasn’t aggressive.
Saying,
“... he wouldn’t go out of his way to bash anybody from the left side or start arguments or anything like that. He had his opinion, and he mostly kept it to himself.” []
With several people saying this seems out of character and that Martin was, quote, “probably one of the kinder souls” they know. []
Hell, this guy even reportedly had an artwork business focused on, quote, “bringing to life the hopeful feeling of being on a golf course by illustrating golf course scenes and providing framed copies of handmade works in various golf course gift shops.” []
So what drove him to breaching a secure perimeter to Trump’s house with a shotgun isn’t really clear at this point.
Though we may know at some point soon, with authorities promising a full investigation into Martin’s motive. []
But this is just the latest step in the escalating staircase of political violence.
Right, just over a week ago, an 18 year old was arrested for running at the US Capitol with a shotgun in hand.
And threats against politicians are skyrocketing - with the Capitol Police opening nearly 15,000 threat assessment cases last year.
Which is up by nearly 60% from 2024. []
But it isn’t just threats and it isn’t limited to one party - last summer, Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed in their home.
And although he wasn’t a politician himself, as a major conservative commentator, Charlie Kirk’s assasination shocked the world.
Hell, this isn’t even the first time we’ve seen someone target Trump specifically.
Right, there was the getting-shot-in-the-ear moment from the campaign trail in July of 2024. [B Roll 0:09-0:15, 1:22-1:28]
And then there was the guy who was captured waiting with a rifle on a golf course in West Palm Beach while Trump was playing a round in September of 2024.
In fact, Trump himself seemingly acknowledged the repeated threats and actions against him with a joke in a press conference - saying,
[“I don't know how long I'll be around. Got a lot of people gunning for me, don't I?” 0:05--0:11]
And his inner circle took this opportunity to hype up law enforcement - with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying,
“In the middle of the night while most Americans were asleep, the United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home. Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans.” []
Before going on to get a dig in at Democrats for shutting down DHS over a lack of ICE regulations.
And we also saw Attorney General Pam Bondi saying she’s working with federal authorities and Trump regarding what she called the “intrusion and shooting at Mar-A-Lago.” []
Finally, we saw Kash Patel promising to dedicate, quote, “all necessary resources in the investigation.” []
But while this whole thing was going down, Patel himself was actually in Italy for the Olympics.
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And many were mad to see Patel in Milan, accusing him of using taxpayer dollars to do Olympian cosplay.
Right, because he was there to watch the U.S. men’s hockey team make history as they beat Canada to win the gold medal for the first time since 1980.
It was a huge game, there was a ton of fanfare.
And not long after Team USA got their medals, a source sent a ProPublica reporter a video of Kash Patel throwing back beers with the team in the locker room.
He even got to wear one of their gold medals, they all sang Toby Kieth’s “Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue” together.
And as this video started circulating, tons of people noted that Patel reportedly took an FBI jet to get to Italy.
And so you had a ton of people mad that this was how Patel was choosing to spend his time and our money, writing:
“3 million pages of evidence of a massive child sex trafficking ring and this is what the FBI director is doing right now.”[]
“The head of the top law enforcement agency in the U.S. should not be using taxpayer dollars to jet set across the world & get drunk with athletes. Can’t imagine the outrage if a Biden appointee did this.”[]
“Can someone in Congress please subpoena how much Patel's make-a-wish trip cost us?”[]
Right, others noting that there are truly a million other things that Patel should be doing instead of crushing a cold one with the boys, like focusing on what is happening in Mexico, the search for Nancy Guthrie, or the situation at Mar-a-lago. [][][]
For his part, Patel defended himself by essentially saying it is his right to bro out every now and then, writing:
“For the very concerned media - yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys- Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth.”[]
But you have people struggling to believe he was invited to this locker room party by anyone other than himself.
And many are also angry because the American people don’t pay him to watch sports, they pay him to do a job that should be keeping him pretty busy.
But Patel was not the only member of Trump’s administration who went out of their way to celebrate the men’s hockey win.
Because you had Trump himself posting about it several times, mainly to mock Canada.
With him sharing an old post from former PM Justin Trudeau that said “you can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game.”[]
Trump also posted an AI video of him playing hockey against Canada, knocking players down, and then repeatedly punching one in the face.
And he even personally called the team to congratulate them, laying heavy compliments on the goalie, and inviting the whole team to the State of the Union this week.
“Would you make the SOTU speech on Tuesday night? I can send a military plane or something. If you would like to, it is the coolest night, it is the biggest — we’re in. [cheers.]” (0:31-0:44)
And at this point, the men’s hockey team started to quickly lose a lot of goodwill with half the country.
Though, what really upset people about this call was when Trump brought up the U.S. women’s hockey team.
Right, the women bright home gold themselves in another intense victory over Canada.
But according to The Athletic, there is no indication that Trump reached out to the women to congratulate them on their win.[]
And when he brought them up to the men, many felt the remarks were pretty backhanded.
“We have to, I must tell you, we have to bring the women’s team, you do know that. [laughter] I do believe I would probably be impeached, okay. [laughter].” (1:28-1:44)
Right, many felt it sounded like Trump was saying they have to include the women — not because they deserve celebration — but just so he doesn’t get in any woke trouble for dissing them, and the men’s hockey team seemed to laugh in agreement.
And this really rubbed people the wrong way.
Right, people expect this kind of behavior from Trump, which is an issue of its own, but many were upset to see Team USA go right along with him, arguing:
“so they took pictures with the women’s team, went to the game to cheer them on, praise them in the media, and in private they laugh at them.”[]
“women in this country deserve so much fucking better. olympic gold medalists being reduced to the punchline of a joke for everyone in the good ol’ boys club to laugh at.”[]
“unfortunately this is just proof that most men do not view women as equals even on a stage where they earned the exact same thing as them.”[]
“The messaging to women and girls — and most importantly — to young men is that “if we have to honor women we will — I guess.”[]
Some arguing that Trump and others on the right have crusaded against trans rights often under the guise of protecting women in sports, only to treat female Olympians like jokes who deserve pity, compulsory White House invites. []
Others especially mad at two brothers on the team, thinking it would be especially shameful for them to laugh at the women considering their mother is on the women’s coaching staff. []
And some have just argued that if anyone deserves credit for this Olympics, it's the women who represented Team USA.
Right, for the third winter games in a row, U.S. women won more gold medals and overall medals than the men.[]
That pattern also extends to the summer games, too.
And some have pressed back against the backlash and defended the men’s hockey players, right, people like Dave Portnoy claiming that:[]
“Talking to the President after winning Gold is as American as Apple Pie.”
But no matter where you stand on the gender politics of all this, you did have the New York Times noting that Trump’s White House invite puts these players, and the NHL teams they represent, in a tough spot. []
Right, do they go or not go? Do the teams issue guidance on this or leave it up to the players themselves? Will attendance or absence be viewed as a blatant political statement?
And of course, we will have to wait until tomorrow to see who from the team shows up, and if any of the women show up for that matter.
But I would love to know your thoughts on any of this in the meantime.
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And in more news, Greenland doesn't want medical assistance from a country with a failing healthcare system.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, respectfully declines Trump’s claim to send a US Navy hospital boat to help with the country’s sick.
And Prime Minister Nielsen is safe on that front because even if he had accepted it, both US hospital ships are under repair in Alabama.
On Saturday night, Trump posted on Truth Social:
Working with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there. It’s on the way! (link)
The post came after Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated an American submarine crew member in Greenlandic waters, but it’s still unclear if that’s why Trump wanted to send ships.
On their Facebook page, the Joint Arctic Command said:
“The crew member needed urgent medical treatment and has been transferred to the Greenlandic health authorities and the hospital in Nuuk.” (link)
Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen seemed to respond to Trump’s post, writing:
“I’m happy to live in a country where there is free and equal access to health care for everyone. The same approach exists in Greenland.” (link)
Greenland’s Prime Minister also responded on his Facebook page saying:
“It’s a no thank you from here. President Trump’s idea of sending an American hospital ship here to Greenland has been noted. But we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens. That is a deliberate choice — and a fundamental part of our society. That is not how it works in the USA. Please talk to us instead of just making more or less random statements on social media.” (link)
Greenland’s Prime Minister prefers to stick with Denmark, which Trump didn’t seem happy about.
“Well, that’s their problem. That’s their problem. I disagree with them.” (4:07-4:12)
But then, Trump also said something rather surprising about the Prime Minister given his proposal to help Greenland.
“I don’t know who he is. Don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem for him.” (4:12-4:18)
Prime Minister Nielsen’s comments also come as Trump continues to make his intentions for Greenland more clear.
“Right now, we are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor.” (4:58-5:11)
For over a year, Trump has pushed for US control over Greenland citing national security concerns like this.
Trump has held his doubt that Denmark would be able to defend Greenland if Russia or China were to invade.
“And the problem is there’s not a thing Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do.” (0:24-0:31)
Even outside of the concerns Trump has for Denmark’s military power, he’s long since questioned how legitimate their stake on Greenland is altogether.
“The fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn’t mean that they own the land. I’m sure we had lots of boats go there also.” (0:06-0:14)
I, for one, am not sure that’s the most opportune argument for a US president considering we’re only 250 years old, but that’s beside the point.
Getting back to national security, US control over Greenland also gives way to Trump’s “Golden Dome” – a missile defense system that would supposedly protect the US.
“What if a foreign country launched a missile at the United States of America? We would need control over the Arctic in order to shoot that missile down. Our entire missile defense system depends on that Arctic security.” (2:07-2:19)
How effective that dome would be is still debateable, as it’s eerily derivative of Israel’s “Iron Dome”.
The issue here is that Israel is about the size of New Jersey, so the logistics of interceptor missiles would work just a bit differently. (link)
Whatever the case, Trump has cited these types of concerns for why he appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as US Special Envoy to Greenland in December as well. (link)
There has also been speculation that Trump has interest in Greenland’s natural minerals.
However, the president has denied these claims.
“We need Greenland for national security. Not for minerals.” (0:48-0:51)
Whatever his actual aims may be, Denmark and Greenland’s prime ministers have been vocal about demanding respect for Greenland's borders.
But it seems as though this bulldoze mentality has become the president’s foreign relations policy from Venezuela to Mexico to, well, any trade allies we have.
As Trump continues to bully his way through foreign affairs, tensions with our NATO allies continue to rise.
Denmark, for example, has been a key NATO ally since 1949.
But since Trump’s push for Greenland has continued after Denmark’s rejection even discussed selling the island, the strain is clear.
Demonstrations have emerged in Greenland and Denmark with slogans like “Make America go away.” (B-roll 0:21-0:25)
That same slogan is written on very familiar red caps across both countries. (link)
This is the kind of rift that’s forced the US to larger conversations with our NATO allies to preserve what little trust may be left there.
While Trump has weaponized tariffs amongst our allies who have supported Greenland, those countries are between a rock and a hard place. (link)
There is a symbiosis amongst NATO allies that those countries don’t want to end.
But they also have an obligation to protect Greenland from American pressures.
At the same time, they have to consider the real possibility of the US effectively dissolving that allyship under the Trump administration.
But that doesn’t seem to be a concern for those in power.
“I think our alliances in NATO ultimately are something that’s going to work out. Our partners understand the importance of the US in NATO. Without the US, there is no NATO.” (1:19-1:27)
But the questions here still lie in whether Trump’s foreign relations are more about conquest and financial gain or the interest of American citizens.
If it’s the latter, he’s dropped the ball.
An Associated Press - NORC poll conducted just this month found that 72% of adults surveyed do not approve of how Trump is handling Greenland. (link)
Even Republicans in the study were split almost in half over the matter.
Overall, the poll also found that only 38% of participants approve of what’s happening with immigration, and only 36% approve of his foreign policy.
As it relates to his tariffs, before the Supreme Court shot down his global tariffs last week, a poll earlier this month found that 64% of Americans disapproved of Trump’s tariffs. (link)
The concern here is what it means for a president to continue to exclusively make decisions at his own behest while his constituents continue to speak against them.
Political leaders have shared the same concerns for what they see as the bigger picture here.
“They are looking to withdraw the United States from the entire world so that we can turn into an age of authoritarians that can carve out the world where Donald Trump can command the Western hemisphere and Latin America as his personal sandbox.” (2:58-3:17)
And as that concern over just how forceful Trump and his administration has become continues to bleed over into questions around authoritarianism, it seems to be the American people who are walking the tightrope until the dust settles in 2028.
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