Now, how does it exactly work that Donald and MAGA can plot for enormous territorial expansion and still claim to be the peacemakers?
It doesn't. Issues of war are one of the prime things that Donald and MAGA simply lie about, without a second thought.
Some of you may recall that the -------- discussed making Iraq an American protectorate back in the not-so-distant past.
That's when MAGA were known as neo-cons.
Now, how does it exactly work that modern MAGA now distances themselves from the neo-cons and professes loathing for them?
It doesn't. Issues of war are one of the prime things that Donald and MAGA simply lie about, without a second thought.
#28 | Posted by Zed

You've nailed it, Zed. This is just the old GOP imperialist w(h)ine in new Trumpia/MAGA w(h)ine skins:

Trump's bizarre insistence on "territorial expansion," as the mainstream media describes it in rather euphemistic fashion, can similarly serve as a window into how the MAGA Right sees the world and America's place in it. The Trumpists are definitely all in: Marjorie Taylor Greene has already announced she will introduce legislation to make the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America." Senator Tommy Tuberville says "We've gotta take the Panama Canal back." Fox News propaganda is emphasizing the need to annex Greenland "for war purposes," Elon Musk is X-tweeting about Greenland, and the wannabe-thought leaders on the extreme Right are running with the idea that acquiring Greenland should be "a major priority" for Trump.

This is partly just the work of sycophants who are hoping to curry favor with their Dear Leader. But this isn't just about Trump and his bonkers ideas. One reason why his imperialist ramblings resonate so much with the Right is that there is a long tradition of such expansionist desires. . . .

To the extent Trumpism has a clear idea about America's role in the world, it is in line with this "America First" tradition. I doubt Trump's obsession with Greenland comes from reading Buchanan--or reading anything at all. But it doesn't necessitate much sophisticated analysis to understand why such dreams of territorial expansion would appeal to him. As a political project, Trumpism promises to restore former glory by purging dangerous outsiders and the "enemy within" from the nation--and by ruthlessly asserting dominance in the world wherever and whenever America wants.

Trumpism is, in many ways, much more a continuation of long-standing ideas and impulses on the radical Right --an exacerbation and radicalization, yes, but not a departure. If we pay attention, his most outlandish ramblings can help us identify those dangerous tendencies and impulses more clearly.