In a remarkable diplomatic escalation, former US President Donald Trump has issued threats against NATO allies while explicitly linking his foreign policy decisions to his failure to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The controversy emerged through a text message exchange with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, where Trump declared he no longer feels “obliged to think purely of Peace” after Norway’s Nobel committee awarded the prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado instead of him.
The message, obtained and verified by major US media outlets, reveals Trump’s renewed insistence on US control of Greenland, which he claims is essential for global security. “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland,” Trump stated in his communication with the Norwegian leader.
Prime Minister Støre confirmed receiving the message on Sunday in response to a joint communication he had sent with Finland’s president expressing concern over proposed tariff increases related to the Greenland dispute. Støre emphasized that the Norwegian government plays no role in Nobel Prize selections, which are determined by an independent committee.
Trump has threatened to impose escalating tariffs—starting at 10% in February and potentially rising to 25% by June—on eight NATO allies unless they support his proposed takeover of the strategically significant Arctic territory. The sparsely populated but resource-rich island has become a focal point in Trump’s national security strategy due to its value for early warning systems and regional monitoring.
The former president has not ruled out military action against a NATO member to acquire Greenland and has questioned Denmark’s historical claim to the territory, suggesting American explorers had equal historical presence. Trump framed his demands within the context of NATO reciprocity, stating, “I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States.”
International response has been swift, with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer asserting that Greenland’s status “belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone” and condemning the use of tariffs against allies as “wrong.” Danish and Greenlandic officials are scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to address the escalating situation.
The Nobel Foundation has clarified that Peace Prize medals cannot be “passed on or further distributed,” despite Machado’s recent meeting with Trump at the White House where she reportedly gave her medal to him. This development follows Trump’s non-endorsement of Machado after US forces removed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, instead backing Maduro’s vice-president as interim leader.