Corporatizing the USA

Donald Trump’s claim that the United States should buy or even “own” Greenland is not merely a diplomatic curiosity-it is a window into his worldview. His style of functioning is that of the CEO of a mega-corp who treats foreign policy more as a grandiose extension of his deal maker persona and casting America as a corporation with himself as its chief executive. His greed on Greenland reflects his notion of an “essentially a large real estate deal,” and Denmark shouldering the costs while Washington reaps the rewards. Supporters of Trump’s vision point to Greenland’s critical minerals, untapped energy reserves, and strategic location along emerging Arctic trade routes. Trump translates these into the language of acquisition, as though the world’s largest island were a real estate property waiting to be unlocked. His proposal carries a psychological dimension as well. Trump openly admitted that “ownership” appeals to his sense of success, suggesting that only his “own morality” limits his ambitions. Greenland thus becomes less a territory than a symbol or a spectacular trophy for Trump to expand U.S. reach, to showcase personal boldness, and cement his image as a president who makes unprecedented deals. Trump justifies the idea on national security and economic grounds, but the tone evokes a bygone era of 19th century territorial expansion. In today’s world, where Denmark, Greenland, and NATO allies have firmly rejected the notion, Trump’s proposal sounds less like policy and more like imperial fantasy. This corporatizing of America is not confined to Greenland. Trump routinely describes the United States in terms of “deals,” “assets,” “ownership,” and “leverage.” He treats military alliances, economic power, and diplomatic relationships as instruments of transactional gain rather than as parts of a rules based democracy. He prides himself on leading “the most powerful country in the world,” but his emphasis is on extracting concessions, not upholding institutions or shared values. Such rhetoric fits neatly with his background as a real estate shark and reality television personality. Howeve it clashes with the expectations of a constitutional leader of the world’s most powerful democracy. A president is meant to safeguard law, institutions, and collective ideals-not to act as CEO of a global corporation. The consequences of this mindset are visible in Venezuela when the US launched “Operation Absolute Resolve,” on January 3, 2026, bombing targets and capturing President Nicolás Maduro, who was flown to New York to face narco terrorism charges. Trump declared that America would “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be arranged. This language does not hide the truth that it signals trusteeship, even occupation. Critics see in this operation the very imperial adventurism they have long warned against- of a military intervention backed by oil interests and raw power. The precedent is stark and deeply worrisome. By branding Maduro as “narco president,” Washington attempts to justify the right to abduct him, restructure his country’s energy sector, and oversee the birth of a new government. What is presented as anti crime policy begins to look like 21st century imperialism. Trump’s Greenland proposal and Venezuela operation share a common thread of both revealing a president who views America not as a constitutional republic but as a corporation to be expanded, managed, and leveraged. Both revive the language of empire in a century that has supposedly moved beyond it. Both raise the same unsettling question, that – when power is treated as property, who safeguards the principles of democracy?