Donald Trump’s bid to secure Greenland and for it to become a part of the US continues – with a fail-safe plan now in place.

Since his inauguration this year, Donald Trump has been persistent in his America First and security goals.

As part of this plan, he has repeatedly lamented that Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, should become an extension of the US.

While both Greenland and Denmark governments have made it clear that they are not interested in joining forces, Trump explained why the region is so important to the US.

Speaking in March, Trump said: “We need Greenland.

“Very importantly, for international security, we have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of, ‘Do you think we can do without it?’ We can’t.

Donald Trump has wanted Greenland for some time (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that. We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody else to take care of that situation.”

He also said that he wants Canada to become the 51^st state of the US too.

Anyway, in response, Danish Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said: “President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future.”

Regardless of the clear ‘no’ that Denmark and Greenland are throwing his way, Trump organized JD Vance to take a trip to a US base in Greenland, unannounced, where Greenland’s Acting Prime Minister Mute Egede said: “Just for the record, the government of Greenland has not extended any invitations for any visits, neither private nor official.”

While it might seem that Trump has wound down on his efforts since then, apparently, he has a contingency plan in place.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to nod that the Pentagon has developed plans to invade Greenland and Panama by force if the deal isn’t made willingly but refused to answer questions on using Signal chats to talk about military operations during a congressional hearing on Thursday (June 12).

The Pentagon has a plan for a forceful takeover of Greenland (Alex Hibbert/Getty stock images)

When asked whether the US would take Greenland by force, he said: “Our job at the Defence Department is to have plans for any contingency.”

Representative Mike Turner asked: “It is not your testimony today that there are plans at the Pentagon for taking by force or invading Greenland, correct?”

Turner added: “I sure as hell hope that is not your testimony.”

“We look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats,” Hegseth then replied.

While the US seems hopeful that they will secure the nation at some point, Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland’s representative to the US, said at a forum in Washington the very same day as the hearing: “Greenland is not for sale.”

Of course, Trump has alleged (without evidence) that his actions are fuelled by a desire to ensure Greenland’s own security, as he said to Congress this year: “We strongly support your right to determine your own future. If you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”

He added: “I think we’re going to get it – one way or the other, we’re going to get it … We will keep you safe. We will make you rich and together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.”

People are comparing Donald Trump’s approval rating five months into his second term with his first term, which began in 2017 – and this time around, he’s broken his own record, but not in a good way.

While many people thought Trump’s political carrier was finished after the Capitol riots following the 2020 presidential election campaign, the Republican made a surprise comeback by defeating Kamala Harris last November to the White House.

Trump promised to do things differently to his predecessor Joe Biden, though there has been a ton of controversial changes introduced by the president in his second term.

Most recently, Trump has introduced his ‘Big Beautiful Bill’, which led to his very public bust-up with Elon Musk after the Tesla founder dubbed it an ‘abomination’.

Trump returned to the White House as president in January (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Immigration has also been a key policy for Trump as he most recently has been responding to anti-ICE protests engulfed LA following raids in the area, as tensions have escalated between law enforcement and protesters.

What do Americans think of Trump?

A new poll released by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday (June 11) revealed that just 38 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s work as president, while 54 percent disapprove overall.

Those who took part in the quiz were asked how they feel Trump has been doing on issues such as the economy, immigration, and the Ukraine-Russia war.

With the latter, for example, Americans are not impressed with how the president has handled the conflict, with just 34 precent saying they approve of Trump’s methods.

Polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement: “As the Russia-Ukraine war grinds through its third year, Americans make it clear they have little appetite for the way the Trump administration is handling the situation.”

Donald Trump’s approval rating are not the best (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

How does it compare to Trump’s first term?

Trump’s current stint in the White House is, of course, his second term, having manned the country between 2017 and 2021, after beating Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

And thanks to a post on Twitter by Steven Rattner, a contributing writer to the New York Times Op-Ed and Morning Joe economic analyst, people have been able to compare the president’s approval rating now compared to his first term.

The poll, which garnered Americans’ thoughts after the president had been in office for 100 days this time around, stated just 39 percent approved of him.

42 percent of participants approved of Trump after his first 100 days in 2017, though both Trump terms are at the bottom of the pile compared to other presidents.

In fact, Trump’s 100-day-in approval rating is lower than that of any other president in the last 60 years, which is truly staggering.

“Trump’s 100-day-in approval rating is lower than that of any other president in the last 60 years. The next lowest is Trump’s first term,” Rattner wrote.

Barrack Obama had a 69 percent approval rating, while Ronald Reagan achieved a whopping 73 percent approval score, as per the Washington Post.

People are voicing concerns after a senator was detained while asking questions about Donald Trump’s ICE raids.

Civil unrest erupted in Los Angeles over the past week in the wake of arrests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in areas with significant Latino populations.

Cars were also set on fire, sending large plumes of black smoke into the sky and exploding intermittently as the electric vehicles burned.

The riots heightened last weekend as President Trump deployed National Guard troops.

“If Governor Gavin Newscum [sic], of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can’t do their jobs, which everyone knows they can’t, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!” he wrote on Truth Social.

Riots have broke out in LA in recent days (RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)

While the riots may have calmed somewhat in recent days, there’s no doubt a lot of tension remains in Los Angeles and other parts of the US.

Tensions were heightened on Thursday (June 12) after Senator Alex Padilla was removed from a Homeland Security news conference as he tried to ask a question.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem headed up a news conference at the Wilshire Federal Building to provide an update.

As federal officials refused to say how many were arrested in recent days, Padilla stepped in at the news conference to ask a question only for secret service agents to grab and remove him from the room, according to the LA Times.

“I’m Senator Alex Padilla,” the senator allegedly called out. “I have questions for the secretary.”

Images circulating online appear to show Padilla being handcuffed on the ground by officials, leaving many online left extremely concerned.

The senator was handcuffed (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

In a statement released on X, Homeland Security said: “Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem.

“Mr. Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands. @SecretService thought he was an attacker and officers acted appropriately.

“Secretary Noem met with Senator Padilla after and held a 15 minute meeting.”

Padilla spoke to journalists after the news conference incident, where he called for people to protest peacefully against the measures implemented by Trump.

“There is a lot of concern, there is a lot of tension, there is a lot of anxiety,” he said.

“I encourage everybody to please peacefully protest, just like I was calmly and peacefully listening to that press conference and preparing, attempting to ask a question.”

Critics have issued scathing responses to the Trump administration’s new scheme to vet the social media profiles of US-based immigrants, with some claiming the policy ‘undermines the fundamental values that make America a beacon of freedom’.

On President Donald Trump’s first day of his second term in office, he signed an Executive Order (E.O.) entitled ‘Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats’.

The E.O. states that the Republicans wants to protect United States citizens from a variety of attacks, including those from people who threaten national security and ‘espouse hateful ideology’.

It also outlined that the country needed to be more ‘vigilant during the visa-issuance process’ to simultaneously protect Americans’ livelihoods and the country’s national interests.

In Section Two of the E.O., the 78-year-old revealed a ‘rigorous’ Green Card vetting and screening process would be set up across agencies to the ‘maximum degree possible’.

The Trump Administration’s new policy has ruffled feathers (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

How do you currently apply for a Green Card on US soil?

If you’re in the US and you’re applying for a Green Card, then you need to file an immigration petition form and Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

You also need to demonstrate your eligibility for a Permanent Resident Card by gathering your passport, proof of relationships, medical examinations, and police and court records.

If the new policy comes into effect, then you will also have to hand over your social media identities. AKA handles and associated social media platform names.

Why is the Trump Administration proposing you showcase your social media accounts?

According to a regulation document, posted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on March 5, this information will: “enable and help inform identity verification, national security and public safety screening, and vetting, and related inspections.”

“This data will be collected from certain populations of individuals on applications for immigration-related benefits and is necessary for the enhanced identity verification, vetting and national security screening, and inspection conducted by USCIS and required under the E.O,” the report reads.

It’s also stated that data extracted from social media accounts will help validate an applicant’s identity, determining whether ‘such grant of a benefit poses a security or public-safety threat to the United States’.

It should be noted that visa applicants living outside of the US already have to share their social media handles with the USCIS.

Therefore Trump’s proposal is an expansion of the policy, affecting those applying for permanent residency or seeking asylum from the US.

People seeking asylum or applying for a visa outside of the US already have to hand their social media profiles over (Getty Stock Image)

The new policy has received backlash from US citizens

Following the USCIS’s claims that vetting social media accounts is necessary for ‘enhanced identity verification, vetting and national security screening’, critics have been having their say.

“100% PURE DICTATORSHIP. Congratulations USA, you’re now part of the “Axis of Evil,” one Redditor commented.

“Chilling Effect on Free Speech: The fear of government scrutiny of online expression will undoubtedly stifle free speech,” another comment read, as per The Independent. “This is particularly concerning for individuals from countries with different political climates, who may fear the misinterpretation of their online activity.”

Someone else replied: “Tons of people totally downplayed how the election outcome might affect life in America. This is why you study history – so you can avoid experiencing the s**t yourself.”

“This policy undermines the fundamental values that make America a beacon of freedom, including free speech, privacy, and human rights,” another argued.

Robert McCaw, director of government affairs at the Council on American-Islamic Relations has slammed Trump after hearing the 47th President of the United States wants immigrants to fork over their social media profiles.

“This policy would disparately impact Muslim and Arab applicants seeking U.S. citizenship that have voiced support for Palestinian human rights,” he told The Intercept. “Collecting the social media identifiers of any potential green card applicants or citizens is the means to silencing their lawful speech.”

The USCIS is continuing to collect comments on the proposal up until May 5.