Kaiser Wilhelm II, like other leaders of his period, wanted the German Empire to be the dominant force in the world. However, he recognized that he was to have influence in the Pacific, he would have to degrade the influence of the United States. The only conceivable way for Kaiser Wilhelm II to attain this goal, in his mind, was to invade the US mainland. He never planned to conquer the US, simply degrade it's influence in the Pacific.
He drew up three plans for a invasion of the US. However, I want to focus on Operation Plan II, drawn up by Eberhard Von Mantley on the orders of Kaiser Wilhelm II in March 1899 as a result of American gains in the Spanish-American War.
It essentially called for a land invasion of New York City and Boston. German troops were to land at two points: Cape Cod for the Boston invasion and Sandy Hook, New Jersey for the New York invasion. The German troops at Cape Cod were to be armed with artillery for the assault on the city. After dealing with harbour fortifications such as Fort Hamilton and Fort Hopkins, warships would then shell Manhattan and other areas of New York City. The manpower of the invasion was to be 20,000 men, at least. In 1900, Kaiser Wilhelm II decided that the operation would be carried out from a base in Cuba, rather than mainland Germany. Of course, this base would have to be taken by force, a prospect which shocked the General Staff.
No one supported the invasion idea and the plan was later shelved.
What if Kaiser Wilhelm II actually ordered this invasion to be carried out sometime before WWI?