Lede

Give the impression you are saving the world, then invoice it for its own land.

Hermit Off Script

Give and take. This whole “give and take” routine is so old it should come with a museum plaque: act like you are on the good side, act like you are doing something noble, then take everything you can, and if there is anything left standing, try to kick that over too. It is “apres moi, le deluge” dressed up as policy: after me, the flood, and also after me, the minerals, the leverage, the headlines, the legacy plaque. That is how Mr Trump the King is acting now. Some actions can look like they have good connotations, like the Maduro takedown, even if the method is dystopian, but then you look for the part where it actually helps ordinary people in that country and you get the real punchline: resources first, people later, and “later” never arrives. And now Greenland comes along with even louder aftershocks, like empire is a subscription service and the renewal email is a tariff threat. Lately I have two endless wells for daily roasting if I have the time: Trump and AI, and while AI is at least manageable and sometimes even genuinely useful, Trump is the opposite, because his actions feel like they can bring the flood of destruction not only for his country but for the whole world, like a child with matches in a fireworks factory. I have already roasted the idea that he can drag his country towards civil war if he keeps treating citizens like nothing, disrespecting law, and letting the rich stack more wealth on the backs of the poor. It is already dystopian watching the world wobble, and it used to feel like one crazy warmonger somewhere else was enough, but apparently the universe is running a two-for-one deal on chaos. I never imagined I would feel pity for ordinary Americans for the leader they elected, because shame, destruction and suffering look like the trajectory, and the damage done in a short time can take decades to repair, assuming he even accepts defeat when it comes. What raises the alarm more than ever is that the opposition often looks like it has misplaced its spine entirely, and the silence around all this madness is its own kind of warning. The next step, if you follow the logic of this style of power, is to arrest opponents or make them disappear, and if that happens it is a flashing sign that the era of democracy is not “under pressure” but finished. And if he seriously pursues territory by any means to satisfy the ego of new land under his name, then for Europe it is not just noise, it is the end of an era of peace. The conclusion is ugly and simple: a ‘child’ is governing the most powerful country on Earth, and even an AI in its current state would probably do a better job of not setting the house on fire.

What does not make sense

• Calling it “security” while making the demand sound like a property purchase with penalties attached.
• Treating sovereign territory like a checkout item: “add to basket, apply tariffs, proceed to force (maybe)”.
• Saying “this helps the people” and then talking about minerals, oil, and leverage instead of health, food, safety, courts, and rebuilding.
• Watching a war-powers check fail, then acting surprised that the executive branch keeps expanding like mould.
• Pretending this is strength when it is basically tantrum economics with a flag on it.

Sense check / The numbers

1. On 17 January 2026, Trump threatened tariffs on imports from eight European countries over Greenland: 10 per cent from 1 February, rising to 25 per cent by 1 June if there is no deal. [Reuters]
2. Reuters also reported Trump would not rule out force in pursuit of Greenland, while citing the island’s strategic location and mineral wealth. [Reuters]
3. On 3 January 2026, a US military operation captured and arrested Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, transferring them to New York to face charges, according to a Congressional Research Service brief. [CRS]
4. The Senate vote to limit further Venezuela action ended 50 to 50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie to kill the resolution, per the official Senate roll call. [US Senate]
5. Greenland has around 56,000 inhabitants, and roughly 20 per cent of the country is not covered by ice and snow, according to Denmark’s official information site. [Denmark.dk]

The sketch

Scene 1: The Halo Shop
Panel: A king-sized podium. Trump sells a shiny “Good Deed” halo to the cameras. Behind the podium, a clerk stamps a form: “RESOURCE EXTRACTION – APPROVED”.
Dialogue:
Trump: “We did it for freedom.”
Clerk: “Sign here for the minerals.”
Scene 2: The Receipt for Greenland
Panel: A map of Greenland on a table like a restaurant bill. Eight European flags around it, each with a price tag. A giant hand writes “10 per cent now, 25 per cent later”.
Dialogue:
Trump: “It’s just business.”
Denmark: “It’s our country.”
Trump: “Same thing, apparently.”
Scene 3: After Me, The Flood (And the Invoice)
Panel: A town underwater. People cling to rooftops. A luxury yacht floats by with “AFTER ME” on the stern. A loudspeaker announces “NATIONAL SECURITY SALE”.
Dialogue:
Citizen: “Who opened the floodgates?”
Loudspeaker: “Stop whining – it’s a strategic deluge.”

What to watch, not the show

• Tariffs as coercion: foreign policy run through a cash register.
• Resource nationalism: minerals dressed as morality.
• Executive drift: “temporary emergency” turning into permanent habit.
• Opposition paralysis: fear of looking weak becomes permission for actual weakness.
• Alliance corrosion: NATO trust treated like a disposable napkin.
• The long tail: even if the chaos stops, the repair bill does not.

The Hermit take

Empire always starts as “help” and ends as “ownership”.
If you normalise tantrums at the top, don’t be shocked when the flood reaches the basement.

Keep or toss

Toss
Keep the scrutiny and the receipts.
Toss the pretence that this is anything but leverage hunting with a flag on it.

Sources

• Reuters on Greenland tariff threats and escalation dates: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-vows-tariffs-eight-european-nations-over-greenland-2026-01-17/
• AP on tariffs and Greenland purchase demand: https://apnews.com/article/4ad99ea3975a8b62d37bd04961feda55
• Reuters on Greenland protests and poll figure: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/protesters-denmark-support-greenland-after-trumps-takeover-threat-2026-01-17/
• CRS brief on Maduro capture and congressional considerations: https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12618
• US Senate roll call vote (Venezuela war powers resolution): https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00009.htm
• Denmark.dk facts on Greenland population and ice coverage: https://denmark.dk/people-and-culture/greenland
• Collins definition of “apres moi le deluge”: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/apres-moi-le-deluge

“After us, the flood” (or “After me, the flood”) is a famous French saying, “Après nous, le déluge” / “Après moi, le déluge,” meaning a selfish disregard for future consequences, often attributed to Madame de Pompadour or King Louis XV, signifying that chaos and ruin after one’s own time don’t matter to them. It’s used to criticize those who act recklessly, focusing only on their own pleasure or power, indifferent to the disaster that might follow their departure or decisions, much like the biblical flood wiping out the world. 

Key Aspects of the Saying:

• Origin: Attributed to Madame de Pompadour (mistress of King Louis XV) after the French defeat at the Battle of Rossbach in 1757, or to Louis XV himself.
• Meaning: “After my time, let destruction come for all I care”.
• Connotation: A cynical, nihilistic expression of indifference to the future’s problems, often used to describe irresponsible leadership or behavior.
• Modern Usage: Criticizes individuals or systems that exploit resources or create problems without concern for future generations.