Donald Trump has dramatically linked his renewed push to seize control of Greenland with his failure to win the Nobel peace prize, triggering a fresh diplomatic storm between the US, Europe and Nato allies, and raising the risk of another transatlantic trade war.
In an extraordinary text message sent on Sunday to Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, the US president said being “snubbed” for the Nobel prize meant he no longer felt obliged to think “purely of peace”. He claimed the US now needed “complete and total control” of Greenland, a self-governing territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace,” he wrote, adding that the US needed “complete and total control” of Greenland.
Trump has sharply escalated his rhetoric in recent weeks, repeatedly insisting the US would take control of the strategically located Arctic island “one way or the other”. Over the weekend, he went further, warning that it was “time” and that the move “will be done”.
On Saturday, Trump threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff from February 1 on imports from several European countries, including Denmark, Norway, Germany, France and the UK, rising to 25 percent later, unless objections to his Greenland plan were dropped. The move has pushed EU-US trade relations into renewed uncertainty and prompted Brussels to consider retaliatory measures.
The dispute has also rattled Nato, with Trump refusing to rule out the use of military force to secure the mineral-rich island. Greenland already hosts a major US military base, and Washington has an agreement with Denmark allowing it to significantly expand its presence there. Despite this, Trump insists full control is essential for US “national security”, citing threats from Russia and China.
In a brief interview with NBC on Monday, Trump doubled down on his tariff threat and again blamed Norway for denying him the Nobel peace prize, claiming the country “totally controls it”. The Nobel prize, however, is awarded by an independent committee appointed by Norway’s parliament, not the government.
Denmark and Greenland have rejected Trump’s claims. Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the territory was a democratic society that would decide its own future. “We will not be pressured,” he said, stressing dialogue and international law.
EU leaders are set to meet for an emergency summit in Brussels later this week, where options including retaliatory tariffs and the possible use of the EU’s anti-coercion instrument will be discussed. Germany and France have already described Trump’s tariff threats as economic blackmail.
While some European leaders are urging calm and dialogue, the episode has underscored growing uncertainty in the transatlantic relationship, with trust between allies increasingly under strain as Trump’s confrontational approach reshapes the geopolitical landscape.