In 2005, while recounting to the Access Hollywood interviewer Billy Bush his attempt at seducing a married woman, Donald Trump said “I don’t even wait … when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything … grab ‘em by the pussy … you can do anything.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhsSzIS84ks. 

I doubt if Don Juan would think that forcing oneself on another would be the same as seduction. Of course, for someone with an inflated sense of self such unauthorized taking is a matter of entitlement! 

In a world of law and order, such boorish behavior does not end well. Exhibit A: The case of E. Jean Carroll. Her encounter with Donald Trump in a department store ended up in the dressing room where Trump forcibly kissed her, pulled down her tights, and penetrated her before she could escape from him. When Carroll recounted this incident in her book, Trump denied knowing her and accused her of lying. Carroll sued for defamation. On the basis of evidence produced at trial, the jury awarded her millions in damages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Jean_Carroll. 

The Bible commands us not to murder, not to steal, and not to give false testimony. In the Carroll Case, Trump managed to violated of these commandments (at least metaphorically): He killed her reputation; he stole her dignity physically and reputationally; and he lied about not knowing her where photographic evidence showed them socializing.     

AND NOW – Trump’s sense of self-entitlement and impulsive forcible kissing and pussy grabbing is informing his territorial ambitions with respect to Gaza, Greenland, Panama Canal, and Canada, not to mention the Ukrainian mineral resources. 

His coveting of Panama Canal, Gaza, and Ukrainian mineral resources are small potatoes when compared to his predatory desire with respect to Canada and Greenland. Putting aside his impulsive grabbing of whatever attracts him, Trump also suffers from an unhealthy obsession with size. Marco Rubio and he got into it about hand sizes during the 2016 presidential campaign. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve6I92hEozo. President Obama call attention to the same kind of obessesion relative to crowd sizes in his speech to the Democratic National Convention in August 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4po70Cf8xg (1:39 mark).

From Trump’s point of view, he looks at the map of the world and sees Canada to the north of the continental U.S. stretching out along the entire length of the U.S. and extending beyond eastward to Newfoundland and northward to the Arctic Archipelago. He looks at Russia that extends from eastern Europe the to less than two miles off Alaska. He sees Russia taking over Crimea and twenty percent of Ukraine and sees Israel constantly extending its land grab, gobbling up Palestinian land, Syrian land, Lebanese land. And so he wonders, why not me! 

The easy stuff came first: He renamed the Gulf of Mexico, as if calling it Gulf of America makes this body of water U.S. territory. For now, the arm-twisting of the unequal Panamanians has resulted in some understanding about the reduction, if not the elimination, of Communist Chinese presence and influence over and around the Canal. He has not ruled out laying claim of jurisdictional control if not outright annexation of the Canal Zone. His extortion of Ukrainian mineral rights was also easy pickings. But his territorial designs for Gaza, Greenland, Panama Canal, and Canada are as illusory and wishful as the camel dreaming such abundance of cotton seed that he can leisurely eat them by the handful  or one seed at a time.

FIRST GAZA! As I outlined in my piece “The Ugly American Just Got A Whole Lot Uglier,” at https://iroon.com/irtn/blog/20970/the-ugly-american-just-got-a-whole-lot-uglier/ (Feb. 23, 2025), Trump has vied to clear out Gaza of Palestinians, whom he obviously does not consider to be human beings, as one cleans out one’s locker at Mar-a-Lago. he wants to make the land into a beautiful Riviera of the Middle East. After Israel violated the U.S.-negotiated cease-fire by not engaging in start of phase two, the IDF began bombing Gaza and intensified its ground operations there. Trump, like a child with fleeting interest in objects, has abandoned care and concern about the cease-fire and has turned a blind eye to Netanyahu’s resumption of the war against Gaza, with an apparent aim to clear it of Palestinians either by forcible removal or murder by war. In this, the U.S. is complicit by not stepping in and forcing Israel to abide by the cease-fire agreement.

Trump’s plan for Gaza is more than just a land grab; it is a violation of every norm of civilized behavior under God’s and Man’s laws alike. Violations of the man-made laws of international conduct aside, Trump’s folly violates also these Biblical commandments: Not to murder, not to steal, and not to covet another’s property.

Trump’s failure to bring peace to this part of the world and his indifference to, if not encouragement of Netanyahu’s killing machine in Gaza, is morally tantamount to endorse the murder of innocents. The eyeing of Palestinian land for himself or for Israel is nothing short of coveting another’s property as well as theft.

SECOND, GREENLAND! The first time I heard of Greenland’s legal status was in Professor Rubin’s International Law course at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy. In 1933, the World Court held that Denmark had sovereignty over Greenland and that Norway was precluded from claiming any part of Greenland by virtue of  Treaty of Kiel (1814), Ihlen Declaration, and other instruments. https://www.worldcourts.com/pcij/eng/decisions/1933.04.05_greenland.htm

Greenland has been and continues to be a part of Denmark, even though for reasons of internal administration Greenland has had an autonomous government. It maybe a stretch, but the relationship of Greenland and Denmark is similar to that of the U.S. with American Samoa, Guam, the Northern with Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which have political autonomy in running their internal affairs. The recognition of Greenland’s status vis-à-vis Denmark is best evidenced in the title of the 1951 agreement that gave the  U.S. the rights to use parts of Greenland for military purposes: “Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark concerning the Defense of Greenland.” The same can be said of other agreements with Denmark over Greenland. See https://www.state.gov/treaties-in-force.

 Now comes Donald Trump with his covetous eyes trained on ripping Greenland from the bosom of Mother Denmark, in a manner no less inconsiderate than ripping a migrant’s child from her parent’s grip in furtherance of some perverted policy. Whatever reasons for this land grab, the method advocated so far by Trump is one of forcing himself on the Danes and Greenlanders, reminiscent of the aforesaid pussy grab.

THIRD, PANAMA CANAL! The U.S. interest in Panama Canal in relation to the country of Panama began on November 6, 1903, when the U.S. recognized Panama’s independence from Colombia, with whom the U.S. was in discussion to lease for 99 years the right of way between the two oceans. In return for the U.S. guarantee of Panamanian independence, Panama granted to the U.S. in perpetuity the use, occupation and control of a ten-mile wide zone of land and land under water for the construction, maintenance, operation, sanitation and protection of the Canal.  Treaty of Hay-Buanu Varilla (Nov. 18, 1903) - https://www.bartleby.com/lit-hub/american-historical-documents/convention-between-the-united-states-and-the-republic-of-panama/. Nothing in the treaty ceded Panamanian sovereignty over the canal and canal zone. U.S. jurisdiction over the zone was carried on under the U.S. Department of the Army.  In  1977, the U.S. agreed to a series of treaties with Panama that established a plan for the gradual reversion of control of the Canal to Panama, culminating in full Panamanian control by December 31, 1999. https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/wha/rlnks/11936.htm.

NOW comes Trump wanting to take the U.S. back to the colonial era and “take back the panama canal.” This guy, with all of his self-proclaimed acumen in real estate, should know that just because you once rented an apartment and then vacated it on your own accord that you cannot come back in without the landlord’s permission. Again, bullying is the preferred method of the Trump Administration when it comes to Panama.

FOURTH, CANADA! Some have conjectured that Trump has had it out for Prime Minster Justin Trudeau ever since a picture turned up of Pierre and Mrs. Trump in facial proximity of sorts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O08PD8Fqk14 (0.50 sec mark). 

Let’s face it; Justin is handsome, young, and did not cower to Trump in any of their meetings. Diminished in stature and appeal, Trump did what he does with everyone he comes to dislike: He goes low and starts demeaning them, in his mind cutting them to size. So, Justin became Governor Trudeau, as if the Prime Minister of Canada is a U.S. state. Then he started talking about annexing Canada, even invading it and make it a part of the U.S. Well, the Canadians have shown their resolve against these insults and have stood their ground.

The refusal of the Carter Administration to sell AWACS planes to Iran occasioned a protracted discussion with my father about what motivates the U.S. foreign policy. He put it succinctly: Tahdid-e doust, tahbib-e doshman, (threatening friends, befriending/cozying up to enemies). Whether one catches flies better with honey than  with vinegar is not a question that concerns Trump. He is given to achieve his ends by the use force or threat of the use of force.  Grab ‘em by the pussy, indeed!