President-elect Donald Trump has made what to some are over-the-top proposals to acquire huge chunks of territory. So what about taking the “Art of the Deal” to a new level?
He has already sent one of his sons to kick the tires on Greenland in expectation of purchasing it from Denmark. Are his intentions to make Canada America’s 51st state and return the Panama Canal to its rightful owners serious or bluster? If they are genuine, then why not expand his aspirations to make a really big deal in keeping with his prior real estate ventures?
As a bold young man, Trump acquired the old Commodore Hotel and turned it into the first jewel in his crown as king of New York real estate. Trump Tower followed. And despite his many bankruptcies from Atlantic City casinos to an airline renamed in his honor, Trump could not be accused of thinking small.
Now as president what super projects may be worthy of his involvement?
Why not offer to buy Taiwan? The semiconductor business alone offers a great return on investment. But then can he flip it? One can think of a willing buyer less than 100 miles away who would find a purchase less costly than seizing Taiwan by force.
The U.S. can expect a large premium that could go a long way to closing America’s frightening $36 trillion debt. And an added bonus would be avoiding a destructive tariff or even a hot war.
Could Russia be open for sale? That would give its president Vladimir Putin a respectful way out of an unwinnable war in Ukraine that is bankrupting the country at a time when declining birth rates and too many citizens fleeing the country to avoid the draft are creating a demographic death spiral. And the deal could be sweetened by offering Putin St.Petersburg or part of Kamchatka as a further reward.
The need for NATO and more defense spending would dissipate. Combined with eliminating the major tension with China over Taiwan, Trump’s economic problems would be largely resolved paving the way to suspend the 22nd Amendment prohibiting a president from serving more than two terms. And surely a Nobel Peace Prize or two would be in the offing.
Whether Canada would accept the offer to become America’s 51st state or not, what might be Australia’s reaction? Canada of course abuts the U.S. But Alaska and Hawaii do not, precedents for bringing Australia aboard. That would give the U.S. an even greater grip in the Pacific.
Perhaps the best deals in value for money reside in Africa. While the so-called dark continent has been viewed in this light dating back to the days of colonization and imperialism, surely for someone with such great marketing and salesmanship skills as Trump, overcoming these political, social, cultural, economic and ideological obstacles as well a lack of critical infrastructure would be no more difficult than building a wall on America’s southern borders to block illegal immigration and having Mexico pay for it.
With future astronaut Elon Musk aboard, Trump could be thinking about extending U.S. sovereignty into deep space regardless of complicated treaties and agreements to regulate control. Would the first Trump Tower be constructed on the Moon or Mars? This might prove to be a taxing question. And what about a string of golf courses and resorts as well?
As no less an authority than Albert Einstein observed space was unbounded but finite, suggesting unlimited business opportunities for Trump to exploit. In these circumstances would Trump have time to govern? Or would he deputize Vice President J.D. Vance to assume this role?
Given his vision as a real estate developer and the authority the presidency would provide, are there any limits on how far the art of the deal could be extended and applied? Past presidents have brought to the Oval Office unique experiences from winning wars to holding high elective or appointive offices.
Trump is unique. So let’s see what his second time as president will bring.
Harlan Ullman Ph.D. (Twitter/X @harlankullman) is United Press International’s Arnaud deBorchgrave Distinguished Columnist, senior advisor at Washington D.C.’s Atlantic Council, chairman of two private companies and principal author of the shock and awe military doctrine. His next book, due in 2025, is “The Great Paradox: Strategic Thinking in an Unstrategic World.”
