Full story
Expansionism and the Trump era
A set of European and Latin American analyses frames Donald Trump’s current push for territorial change as part of a longer American pattern of expansionism, linking it to the Monroe Doctrine and later U.S. strategic doctrines.
“American expansionism is neither new nor was it invented by Trump”
Le Figaro’s op-ed by essayist Jérémie Gallon argues that Greenland is at the center of a choice for Europe, warning that if Europe “bow to the Trump administration, all other powers will trample on us.”
Le 1 hebdo traces a historical parallel to Theodore Roosevelt and his “corollary to the Monroe Doctrine” of 1904, describing the aim as making the United States a great maritime power and aligning Trump with that vision.
BBC’s account of 250 years of U.S. growth says the nation expanded from “13 colonies that covered 430,000 sq miles (1.1 million sq km)” to “approximately 3.7 million sq miles,” while also tying Trump’s key promises to “limiting immigration, and expanding US power and territory.”
Greenland, tariffs, and Europe
Multiple outlets focus on Greenland as a flashpoint, with Le Figaro presenting it as a test of whether Europe will resist American expansionism.
In Le 1 hebdo’s framing, Trump’s approach is tied to the December 2025 National Security Strategy and a deterrence logic that extends the U.S. sphere of influence across the Americas “from pole to pole, including of course Greenland.”
El Orden Mundial says Europe would only be able to defend Greenland by confronting Trump, and it describes the Arctic Endurance mission as a response to U.S. tariff threats.
That same piece says the initial contingent for Arctic Endurance is “only 35 men,” while also noting that Washington interpreted the deployment as a gesture of confrontation and threatened tariffs on participating countries.
Public support, domestic stakes
Le Devoir connects the territorial agenda to domestic politics in the United States, saying a military intervention in Greenland would be “very unpopular” and citing polls that show “about 80 percent of Americans… oppose this plan.”
“To remain free, one must instill fear; to instill fear, one must be powerful; to be powerful in this brutal world, one must act faster and with more force”
It also reports that for Venezuela, “a large majority of the population said they do not want Trump to intervene militarily there,” while adding that Trump is at “42–43 percent support” for that intervention.
Le Devoir further links these attitudes to the November 2026 midterm elections, saying Republicans hold majorities in both chambers and that the president’s challenge is to ensure his base votes.
The same interview says Trump’s approval among independents is “25 percent approval, his lowest percentage since the start of his presidential career,” and it warns that if a Democratic House of Representatives emerges in January 2027, it could change the budget dynamics for his projects.
