London: Donald Trump’s aggressive push to acquire Greenland has stunned and irked the rest of the world in equal measure.
The US President’s attitude of having the last word on anything that he believes in, ignoring standard norms, has been the hallmark of his second term as US President.
The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their Caracas residence earlier this month was an example of Trump’s high-handedness. Now, he has set his sights on annexing Greenland from Denmark.
So desperate is Trump that he has threatened to impose additional tariffs on countries opposing his plan to “buy” Greenland.
Furious with his plans, a prominent UK leader has labelled Trump
an “international gangster”, a “bully”, and “the most corrupt president the United States has ever seen”.
Speaking in Parliament, Liberal Democrat Ed Davey, leader of the third-largest party in the UK, described the current global diplomatic climate as an “incredibly grave moment”.
Addressing the government during a session marked by high tension, Davey accused the American president of unprovoked aggression and warned that the historic “special relationship” between the US and UK, which Trump had previously hailed at Windsor Castle, is now “nearly in tatters”.
“President Trump is acting like an international gangster… threatening to trample over the sovereignty of an ally and threatening the end of NATO altogether,” Davey said.
He added that Trump was a bully who “thinks he can grab whatever he wants using force if necessary”.
Trump recently announced a 10% to 25% import tax or tariff on goods from eight European nations, including the UK, from February 1. This ‘punishment’ is for supporting Denmark’s refusal to discuss an American takeover of Greenland.