It’s up to Congress to stop Trump’s Greenland power trip

This is an adapted excerpt from the Jan. 20 episode of “The Weeknight.”

There’s absolutely no difference between Donald Trump’s push to seize Greenland, his relentless pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize and the plastering of his name on the Kennedy Center. It’s time we acknowledge that the president is driven by one thing: his singular need for attention, accolades and tributes.

For Trump, it’s all about him, and he doesn’t care if he hurts the American people in the process.

The tariffs he has threatened to impose on some of our closest allies unless they greenlight his Greenland crusade will do great damage to the U.S. economy.

Then there’s the possibility of a military invasion of Greenland. While Trump told the crowd at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday that he didn’t “want” to use force, he has repeatedly threatened to send troops to the Danish territory.

There’s a real risk we could lose Americans in combat due to one egomaniac’s trip down Vanity Lane.

So the question now becomes: Will Congress stop him?

Right now, we should keep our eyes on Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. He’s not running for reelection. He’s been vocal about his opposition to Trump’s Greenland push.

But he may not have to do it alone. If Tillis gets serious about trying to stop this insanity, which is not only harming our economy but also making us much less safe in terms of the world, then you could begin to see some other dominoes fall.

Fellow Republicans such as Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky could join him.

There’s been some talk among Democrats about the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment and removing Trump from office. But frankly, that’s a sloppy, messy way to do it.

Members of Congress should simply read the first article of the Constitution and realize that they are the ones who have the power to declare war and to appropriate. They already have the means to stop Trump.

It’s time for lawmakers to do their job under the Constitution. Until they do, things will only get worse. So will members of Congress finally step up? Or will it be up to the American people?

Allison Detzel contributed.