Donald Trump has dramatically escalated uncertainty surrounding his ambitions to acquire Greenland, offering a terse "You'll find out" when pressed on how far he would go to seize the territory. The former president made these remarks during a White House press briefing, where he also declined to offer NATO leaders the reassurances they were seeking about his commitment to the alliance's stability.
NATO's Strength Questioned Amid Greenland Speculation
Trump repeatedly asserted that he had done more for NATO than anyone else, suggesting this should grant him free rein to shape the alliance's future and determine what territories the United States controls. "I've made it so much better, so much stronger. It's so good now," Trump declared about NATO. "When I came here we had a weak NATO ... they were a nothing NATO. Whether you like it or not, it's only as good as we are. If NATO doesn't have us, NATO is not very strong."
Security Justifications and Diplomatic Fallout
When questioned whether breaking up NATO would be an acceptable price to pay for acquiring Greenland - a territory of Denmark - Trump responded that he believed whatever transpired would benefit the alliance. "I think that we will work something out where NATO is going to be very happy and where we're going to be very happy," he stated. "But we need it for security purposes. We need it for national security and even world security."
These bellicose comments emerged just hours before Trump was scheduled to depart Washington DC for the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland, where he planned to meet with global leaders. The remarks have drawn condemnation from European officials, with some characterising Trump's approach as "new colonialism" as the Greenland crisis intensifies.
Nobel Prize Controversy and International Relations
During the extensive briefing, which lasted nearly two hours, Trump aired various grievances including his failure to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He claimed explicitly that he should have been awarded the honour, blaming the Norwegian government for the snub. "Don't let anyone tell you that Norway doesn't control the shots, OK? It's in Norway. Norway controls the shots," Trump asserted. "They say, 'We have nothing to do with it.' It's a joke. They've lost such prestige."
Military and Diplomatic Options for Greenland
The Trump administration's options for acquiring Greenland appear limited to several approaches: attempting to purchase the territory from Denmark, forcing a referendum on Danish governance, or employing military force. Trump has previously threatened to impose tariffs on European NATO members who oppose his Greenland ambitions, prompting outrage from EU leaders and plunging transatlantic trade relations into fresh turmoil.
The escalating dispute has forced the European Union to consider retaliatory measures and created new tensions within NATO, which has guaranteed Western security for decades. Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court is currently examining the legality of Trump's use of tariffs as leverage in foreign policy, a decision that could significantly impact his ability to pressure Europe into supporting his Greenland objectives.
Economic Leverage and Future Negotiations
Trump dismissed suggestions by French President Emmanuel Macron and others that the EU should retaliate against US tariffs with what has been termed a "trade bazooka" - an anti-coercion tool that could limit American companies' access to the European single market. "See, anything they do with us, I'll just meet it," Trump responded. "All I have to do is meet it and it's gonna go ricocheting backward. But we're not looking at that. We'll probably be able to work something out, possibly even during the next few days in Davos."
When asked what he would do if Supreme Court justices ruled against his use of tariffs as foreign policy leverage, Trump indicated he would employ "something else" but maintained that his current approach represented "the best, the strongest, the fastest, the easiest, the least complicated" method available.
The former president also touted what the White House described as 365 achievements from the first year of his second term during the briefing, while expressing off-script grievances about both the 2020 and 2024 elections. This combination of territorial ambitions, alliance questioning, and personal grievances has created a complex diplomatic landscape as Trump prepares for international negotiations in Davos.
