WASHINGTON — Embrace the chaos — that’s my formula for dealing with Trump 2.0, especially on the world stage.

If you thought that the second time around President-elect Donald Trump was going to be more congenial toward our allies in the international community, Tuesday you got your wake-up call.
During a Mar-a-Lago press conference, Trump explained how he plans to protect U.S. national interests in ways that a year ago seemed unthinkable. It was not a good day for the governments of Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Greenland. The term “Manifest Destiny” is enjoying a comeback.
Yes, he was trolling. At one point, Trump offered, “We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring.”
If you put your ear to the ground, you could hear the sound of cellphones buzzing from Foggy Bottom to Mexico City.
On cable news and social media, the reaction was predictable.
How dare he say that?
Can he do that?
(The answer is yes, there’s a federal office for rebranding, the U.S. Board for Geographic Names.)
Well, there’s a caveat. Washington can change the name of the Gulf, but other countries need not follow our lead.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., pounced on the clickbait issue. “I’ve directed my staff to immediately begin drafting legislation to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.”
Trump also maintained he could use “economic force” to annex O, Canada, which he wants to make America’s 51st state. Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau understandably dismissed the annexation scheme as not having a snowball’s chance in hell.
Never one to ignore a good graphic, Trump posted a map that melded Canada and the USA into one country on Truth Social.
The Hill asked its readers, “Do you think Canada should merge with the United States?” Presumably, Canadians have some say in the matter.
Ditto residents of Greenland and Panama.
Trump is especially fixated on Panama, with its canal built by the U.S. Ar...