Trump’s Fixation On Arctic Ships Led to No-Bid Contracts

“Late one night last August, Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, was at his summer residence two hours west of Helsinki when his phone rang. On the other end of the line was President Trump, calling with a request,” the New York Times reports.

“He wanted to buy a fleet of massive ships designed to cut through Arctic ice.”

“Mr. Trump had long fixated on these hulking vessels, known as polar icebreakers. He viewed them as crucial to dominating the Arctic, where rising temperatures have put key shipping lanes and vast mineral wealth up for grabs. And he was incensed that the United States possessed far fewer than Russia.”