A virus can spread for a variety of reasons, including human contact, coughing, sneezing or contaminated surfaces. Viruses thrive under harsh conditions, eating away at healthy, thriving individuals to survive in a network they aren’t welcome in.
The same logic of how a virus can destroy a healthy being can be applied to the Trump administration's unquenchable thirst to imperialize.
On Jan. 3, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured and brought to the U.S. Later that day, President Donald Trump said, “It was an operation against a heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas to bring outlaw dictator Nicolás Maduro to justice.”
Project 2025 is an initiative published by the Heritage Foundation that seeks to implement an excess of presidential control, and Venezuela is mentioned six times throughout the document. The country is described as poverty-stricken, helpless and in need of assistance. It lays out a foundation to normalize these imperialistic characteristics for countries that are not up to the standards of the current president.
Viruses hijack an individual's normal cells and proceed to make copies with said cells, much like how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s influence has affected Trump’s political ideologies. In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, similar to the recent invasion Venezuela. The actions between these two individuals are almost entirely parallel.
April 24, 2025, Greg Dixon and Charles Maynes of NPR said, “The sometimes cold and often frozen relationship between Russia and the U.S. has gotten a lot warmer since President Trump took office.” Interestingly, viruses thrive in warmer environments.
As early as 2007, Trump made various comments in support of Putin, praising his political strategies.
“Let me tell you: Putin went through a hell of a lot with me,” Trump said during a 2025 meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia … that was a phony Hunter Biden, Joe Biden scam and he had to go through that.”
Even during an active war, Trump still defended the aggressor.
Putin already gave his support to Trump’s advances to take control over Greenland. Similar to Venezuela, Greenland is also mentioned in Project 2025.
On page 190, the document states, “A formal year-round diplomatic presence is an effective way for the U.S. to better understand local political and economic dynamics. Furthermore, given Greenland’s geographic proximity and its rising potential as a commercial and tourist location, the next Administration should pursue policies that enhance economic ties between the U.S. and Greenland.”
Greenland’s government is almost entirely dependent on fishing exports and subsidies from the Danish government, and obtaining the country would result in a substantial financial burden to the U.S. because it could take up to $591 million a year to keep Greenland running.
In January, NBC reported it could cost up to $700 billion for the U.S. to buy Greenland. Later that month, Trump said, “One way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”
Despite Trump’s statement, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldt of Greenland explicitly said, “Greenland does not want to be owned by, governed by or part of the United States.”
Republican Rep. Don Bacon said the idea of Trump imperializing Greenland is “the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” Bacon later claimed it would lead to an inevitable impeachment of Trump. The GOP is against Trump's advances to take over Greenland because it is a display of unchecked power and brash decision-making.
Since Vice President JD Vance and Motzfeldt's meeting January 14, there have been various protests in Greenland and Denmark against the Trump administration.
“I think America has lost its soul,“ Danish veteran, Martin Aaholm, said. "It's not the America I grew up with, where America was the defender of peace in the world and wanted to spread democracy.”
Greenland also has a bona fide geopolitical position and a vast amount of natural resources; however, if Trump decided to take military action, it would destroy the U.S. connection to NATO.
NATO is an essential part of U.S. relations with major countries worldwide. It provides safety and reliability in the face of external conflicts with countries not part of NATO.
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell stated an attempt to take control of Greenland would be “an unprecedented act of strategic self-harm” that risks “incinerating” alliances.
Taking over Greenland would be an unnecessary display of unchecked power, and it would allow Trump to possibly continue similar behavior in the future.
Adam Gerber is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Adam about their column? Email them at ag967424@ohio.edu
