This Essay was posted on 1/23/2026.
Lawrence O’Donnel said on his late-night MS NOW news show that Donald Trump was humiliated when he recanted his tariff threats over Greenland at the Davos meeting. O’Donnel described how Trump learned about the limits to his power when European countries responded to his tariff threats and the US stock market suffered big losses. But O’Donnel painted a too-rosy picture of the future.
Donald Trump’s powers have limits in international politics, but he is still unchallenged at home. His ICE agents are still abusing the rights of citizens as well and non-citizens. Trump is still creating needless chaos and unrest in blue states giving him an excuse to bring in Federal troops, declare martial law, and cancel the mid-term elections.
While his powers over Greenland have been challenged, Trump is still flexing his muscles over Venezuelan oil that he is commandeering and selling. Trump also appears to be keeping the money. The main difference between Greenland and Venezuela is the size and influence of Trump’s opposition.
While Trump may need to wait for a better opportunity to control Greenland, he is still on schedule in his plan to establish an unconstitutional authoritarian government where only he gets to decide.
The task ahead of us is to ensure that we have fair and secure mid-term elections and that we don’t forget that Trump is still hiding those pesky Epstein files.
Click for Next Essay: The Cost of Autocracy