U.S. President Donald Trump told the World Economic Forum he ‘won’t use force’ to acquire Greenland from Denmark, calling for ‘immediate negotiations’ to make it happen. ‘They have a choice. You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember.’
Trump’s speech laid out in more detail than ever before his reasons for wanting the U.S. to control Greenland, and in doing so revealed more holes in his arguments.
His announcement that the U.S. won’t use military force against a NATO ally (Denmark) to take some of its territory (Greenland) is dominating today’s headlines. But a closer reading of that statement reveals that Trump’s case is littered with contradictions.
He minimized the significance of his demand for Greenland as “a very small ask” for “a piece of ice,” yet maximized the importance of owning the Arctic island as essential for U.S. national security.
He described Russia as a threat to Greenland, despite scant evidence that’s true, while downplaying its threat to Europe, despite Russia’s actual invasion of Ukraine.
And while he backed down from using military force to take over Greenland, he continued to threaten economic force to get his way.
One of the starkest lines in Trump’s speech is a more ominous phrasing of his previous comments that Denmark will hand over Greenland either “the easy way” or “the hard way.”
“You can say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember,” Trump said.