American relations with NATO allies are in jeopardy
On January 9, 2026, President Donald Trump proclaimed during a meeting with oil executives, “We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not.” This statement marked a significant escalation after nearly a year of attempts to pressure Denmark into ceding Greenland to the United States. But during Trump’s speech at the Davos Economic Forum, the European Union (EU) suspended the passing of a trade deal with the U.S., which followed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s threat to invoke the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s Article 5 on the U.S. if it invaded Greenland. NATO’s Article 5 stipulates that an attack on one member is an attack on all, which if invoked against the U.S. would endanger NATO’s cohesion. Both of these events ultimately highlight the now tenuous relationship between the U.S. and its other NATO allies, showing that Trump’s irrational decisions are dangerous for the future of America’s alliances.
Although the expansionist rhetoric to annex Greenland has been highlighted during Trump’s second term, it is not the first time the U.S. has attempted to take Greenland. In 1867, after buying Alaska from the Russian Empire, the Secretary of State at the time, William Seward, floated the idea of buying Iceland and Greenland from Denmark. Although no formal offer was made, a document declassified in 1991 revealed that the U.S. in 1946 tried to formally give Denmark an offer to buy Greenland over the escalating Cold War against the Soviet Union. Although this attempt also failed, Denmark allowed the U.S. to establish multiple military bases on the island, most of which are closed today. It would not be until Trump’s first presidency in 2019 that a new offer was made to buy Greenland. His request was quickly shut down by the Danish government, which insisted the island was not for sale.
Throughout January 2026, President Trump threatened Denmark with the threat of tariffs and military invasions. One of President Trump’s reasons for claiming Greenland was that if the U.S. did not control the island, China or Russia would seize control of it first, although there is no evidence to support this to be true. Regardless, he would keep pushing to secure control over the island. During a press conference with oil executives on January 9th regarding Venezuela, Trump responded to a question about Greenland by claiming he expected Denmark to concede the island “the easy way” through a negotiated deal. He also threatened to take the island “the hard way,” implying that he was willing to seize the island by force. The President has also posted controversial AI-generated images on his Truth Social account, all intended to depict Greenland (and in some cases Canada as well) as American territories. One example is an AI-generated image of Trump in a meeting with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and other world leaders in the Oval Office. In the image, there is a poster depicting Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela as American territories.
Alongside military threats, the President threatened the European Union by imposing 10% tariffs on most EU countries from February 1st, though he lifted them only days after the threat. However, many countries did not concede to Trump after his constant threats. One instance is the EU’s rejection of the trade deal negotiated between President Trump and von der Leyen in summer 2025. Additionally, Canada threatened to invoke Article 5 of NATO in the case of an American invasion of Greenland. Furthermore, French President Emmanuel Macron threatened to impose a “trade bazooka” on the U.S. through the European Union, which would heavily restrict any companies based in the U.S. from doing business in any EU country. This action, also known as the Anti-Coercion Instrument, would devastate the U.S. economy and cost America billions of dollars.
Ultimately, President Trump’s rhetoric to annex Greenland is dangerous for the cohesion of NATO. If NATO were to truly fall apart due to Trump, Russia and China would gain leverage over the U.S. and the EU. Russia and China could easily seize the opportunity as the two major Western powers are significantly weaker without mutual cooperation. Furthermore, historic American allies would drift away from American orbit, a process that has already begun. Though many things remain inconclusive as Trump insists on a deal with Denmark and the rest of NATO, one thing is for certain: the U.S.’s relationship with Europe will deteriorate and America’s historically powerful hegemony will diminish with it.
