In Donald Trump’s first term, a familiar dynamic frequently unfolded on Capitol Hill. The then-president would publish outrageous statements by way of social media; reporters would ask congressional Republicans for their reactions; and lawmakers would offer some variation on a simple, five-word response: “I didn’t see the tweets.”
In most instances, fair-minded political observers strongly suspected that these members had, in fact, seen the messages, but there was also an implicit understanding that GOP lawmakers didn’t want to talk about some of his most outlandish pronouncements.
As Trump prepares to return to the White House, he’s again turning to social media, this time to endorse imperialistic pursuits: The president-elect appears quite serious about adding Greenland and Canada to the United States, taking control of the Panama Canal, renaming the Gulf of Mexico, and even making veiled threats against a NATO ally in Europe.
So, is it time for yet another round of “I didn’t see the tweets”? Evidently not.
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee expressed support for Trump’s plans for Greenland and the Panama Canal a couple of weeks ago, and she appears to have plenty of company. Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama appeared on Fox Business this week and said, “We’ve gotta take the Panama Canal back.” A day later, Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy of Pennsylvania appeared on Fox News and said effectively the same thing.
Hours earlier, Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida told Fox Business that acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal would be “pretty exciting.” Around the same time, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina offered similar support for acquiring Canada.
Perhaps the most extraordinary reaction to the president-elect’s ambitions came — at least temporarily — from Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Politico reported:
On Wednesday the committee published — and then deleted — a post on X plugging on Wednesday Trump’s musings about acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal and renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. “Our country was built by warriors and explorers. We tamed the West, won two World Wars, and were the first to plant our flag on the moon. President Trump has the biggest dreams for America and it’s un-American to be afraid of big dreams,” the committee account wrote, accompanying a screenshot of a New York Post cover titled “The Donroe Doctrine.”
The use of the word “un-American” was of particular interest: Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee — traditionally, a panel that strived to govern in a relatively bipartisan and mature way — briefly argued that to be patriotic is to necessarily endorse Trump’s newfound dreams of acquiring much of the continent. Perhaps the panel’s GOP members took down the tweet after realizing how offensive the message was? Evidently not: As Politico’s report added, “The committee said the deletion was far from an effort to dial back. It re-posted the graphic after altering the New York Post cover to say ‘The Trump Doctrine’ and saying ‘This was taken down because we wanted to fix the graphic to reflect that President Trump’s America First vision is worthy of being called by its own doctrine.’” What’s more, there’s also a legislative dimension to all of this: House Republicans this week have begun crafting bills that would, among other things, rename the Gulf of Mexico and give Trump the authority to buy the Panama Canal. No one will be surprised if similar proposals are introduced soon related to Greenland and Canada. The “I didn’t see the tweets” reactions might not have been entirely honest, but watching GOP lawmakers endorse some of the president-elect’s more preposterous ambitions is far worse.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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