Trump Says His Only Limit on His Global Powers Is His ‘Own Morality’

“Do you see any checks on your power on the world stage? Is there anything that could stop if you wanted to?” “Yeah, there’s one thing: my own morality, my own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me. And that’s very good. I don’t need international law. I’m not looking to hurt people.” “Do you feel your administration needs to abide by international law on the global stage?” “Yeah, I do. I do, but it depends what your definition of international law is.” “You mean in Greenland? We had, in Greenland —” “Well that’s because you needed them.” “Starting — in the 1951 agreement, though, it says the United States can reopen these bases anytime you want. You can send as many troops as you want and you haven’t done it. How come?” “Because I want to do it properly.” “And properly means own it?” “Well it does, to me it’s ownership. Ownership is very important, yeah.” “Why is ownership important here?” Because it’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do — whether you’re talking about a lease or a treaty — ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document that you can have a base.”