A carnivorous power is one that struggles to curb its appetite and recognize its own limitations. Since the start of 2026, almost one year after he returned to the White House, Donald Trump has sought to seize Venezuela's oil, launch ground operations against drug cartels, notably in Mexico, decapitate the Iranian regime, and, finally, acquire Greenland, whether through persuasion or by force. He has pursued all these goals, all while more extensively deploying the United States military on the domestic front to help police hunt for undocumented migrants, especially in Minnesota. This dizzying display of power has even alarmed his own base, the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, not for reasons of principle or legality, but because he has dispersed his efforts and shown a lack of focus on Americans' everyday lives.
US public opinion has overwhelmingly rejected the ambitions expressed by the White House regarding Greenland. According to a CBS-YouGov poll, 86% of Americans surveyed, including 70% of Republicans, opposed using force to take control of the autonomous territory, which falls under Danish sovereignty, and 70% also objected to the idea of purchasing it. Nevertheless, Trump opted to escalate tariff measures on Saturday, January 17, in an effort to twist the Europeans' arm.
Europe has, so far, not been the US's primary target in its use of tariffs as a tool for punishment. At the end of August 2025, Trump decided to impose an additional 25% tariff on India, raising the total levy on goods exported to the US to 50%, because India was buying Russian oil. The measure caused lasting damage to the US's bilateral relationship with New Delhi, and while it led India to reduce its Russian oil purchases, it fell far short of completely stopping the flow, the outcome Trump had wanted. Meanwhile, the case of the eight European countries targeted is more serious, given that they are US allies and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Furthermore, the United Kingdom is, thanks to its supposed "special relationship" with Washington, one of the few countries to have concluded a bilateral trade deal with the Trump administration. Now, that deal is under threat too.