Trump torn apart for little 'jokes' that spark international crises

On Tuesday, a leading conservative commentator warned of the “consequences” of President Donald Trump’s “wild posting spree.” While the president’s allies shrug off his behavior as a “joke,” according to former Republican Charlie Sykes, the impact of Trump’s “insane” posts is all too real.

“Donald Trump wants to be in the headlines every single day, at the moment when he’s approaching the Nixon line of popularity,” said Sykes, who was appearing on the podcast of conservative journalist Matt K. Lewis. Sykes noted that while he didn’t want to let himself be triggered by Trump’s explosion of social media posts over the weekend – which included a barrage of insults against Canada, other countries, and even the U.S. state of New Mexico – he couldn’t help it.

“The president of the United States goes on this wild posting spree that includes a picture of the entire North and Central America as the United States of America. It’s like, let’s make imperialism great again.”

The post in question bore a map that extended the red, white, and blue of the U.S. flag over Canada, Mexico, Greenland, Iceland, Cuba, and other Caribbean islands. As Newsweek explains, Trump delivered this insult at a moment of high tension with most of the countries portrayed.

“Of course the unusual suspects will say he’s just joking,” said Sykes, noting that the rest of the world doesn’t take it so lightly. “Apparently Iceland has summoned the [U.S.] ambassador to say, what the hell is this? It’s so insane.”As Newsweek reports, “Iceland's Foreign Ministry described the post as ‘completely inappropriate,’ according to Iceland's public broadcaster RÚV. The public rebuke highlighted the sensitivity surrounding questions of sovereignty in the Arctic region, where Trump's long-standing interest in Greenland has already become a source of friction with European allies.”

“Remember what the consequences were to joking about taking over Greenland?” asked Sykes. Trump’s threatening posture toward the island nation and Danish territory caused a severe rupture between the U.S. and NATO allies, resulting in wide-ranging fallout. When Trump’s war with Iran spiraled into a standoff, for example, those angry allies rebuffed his calls for aid.

“The rest of the world is watching this,” warned Sykes. “This is not enhancing our strength, our reputation, the trust that we have in ourselves. The nastiest conflict we’re embroiled in in the world – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – is with Canada. Not with China. Not with Russia. Not with North Korea. With Canada. We’re offending the Danes. We are insulting one country after another. What do you think the Mexicans are thinking of this? Are we at the point where you just roll your eyes ... But at some point these things do have consequences.”