President Donald Trump has intensified his controversial campaign to acquire Greenland, declaring on social media that there is “no going back” and labeling the territory “imperative” to U.S. interests. During a White House press briefing, Trump remained characteristically cryptic about his methods, telling reporters “You’ll find out” when questioned how far he would go to obtain the autonomous Danish territory.
The administration’s pursuit has triggered profound diplomatic repercussions, exposing fractures in Western alliances. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, French President Emmanuel Macron warned of a dangerous “shift towards a world without rules,” while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged that the “old order is not coming back.”
When confronted by BBC journalists about potentially destabilizing NATO through his Greenland ambitions, Trump offered contradictory statements. While boasting that “Nobody has done more for NATO than I have,” he simultaneously questioned the alliance’s commitment to mutual defense, expressing doubts about whether member states would honor Article 5 obligations to defend the United States if needed.
Greenland’s Minister of Industry and Natural Resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, conveyed her nation’s firm rejection of Trump’s overtures, stating Greenlanders were “bewildered” by the proposals. “We do not want to be Americans, and we have been quite clear about that,” she emphasized during a BBC Newsnight interview, questioning the valuation placed on Greenlandic culture and self-determination.
The confrontation has escalated into broader trade threats, with Trump vowing to impose 10% tariffs on imports from eight European countries beginning February 1st if they oppose his Greenland agenda. Additionally, he threatened 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne following Macron’s reported refusal to join a Gaza peace initiative.
European leaders responded with unprecedented unity. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared European sovereignty “non-negotiable” while reaffirming the EU’s “full solidarity” with Greenland and Denmark. Macron condemned Trump’s tariff diplomacy as “fundamentally unacceptable,” particularly when leveraged against territorial sovereignty, while advocating for EU retaliatory measures including the so-called “trade bazooka” anti-coercion instrument.
The European Parliament is reportedly considering suspending approval of a recently negotiated US trade deal, signaling potentially lasting damage to transatlantic relations as Trump prepares to engage with world leaders in Davos regarding his polar ambitions.