We know one thing for sure: President Donald Trumps wants to be seen as the greatest president there ever was. But he’s not stupid. He sees that the American public doesn’t agree with him—yet. His net popularity rating is minus 12.

Sure, he can claim that all the polls lie but he knows better. He’s always been obsessed by ratings, and he wants them them up fast. And that, I believe, is one of the reasons for his overt imperialist adventure, arresting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and making a claim on Venezuelan oil. Maybe he also believes that taking the oil will drive down US energy prices so that “affordability” concerns will no longer turn consumers against him, though this is almost certainly wrong.

But there is no doubt he’s also worried that unless his popularity changes, the Democrats will gain control of not only the House but also the Senate, putting a major dent in his ability to do as he pleases. So, he appears to be betting the farm that military adventures in Latin America and sword rattling over ever-peaceful Greenland will rally the public behind him, sending his ratings to new heights and leading the Republicans to victory in 2026. It’s called wagging the dog.

Historically, he might not be wrong. Successful expansionist military adventures have led to rallying around the flag: The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) gave us the annexation of Texas and the territories of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The Spanish-American War of 1898 removed Spain from the Western Hemisphere and gave the US control of the Philippines. Teddy Roosevelt gained a great deal of positive press by leading his Rough Riders up San Juan Hill in Cuba. Quick and dirty wars against weaker adversaries are often good politics.

As ratings sag I truly worry that Trump, egged on by Steven Miller, who truly is off his rocker, will go after Greenland.

Are they this time around? We don’t know for sure yet, but early poll results are not promising for Trump. As expected, the Republicans overwhelmingly support the imperialist adventure, and the Democrats overwhelmingly do not. But the all-important independents vociferously oppose the ousting of Maduro,

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