Overview: President Trump’s public pursuit of Greenland at Davos — first framed as a bid for ownership, then softened to a demand for expanded U.S. military access — unsettled European allies and strained trust within NATO. Danish officials say existing treaties already allow increased U.S. presence without ceding sovereignty. Experts warn the episode damaged long-standing transatlantic trust and could be exploited by rivals such as Russia.
Trump’s Greenland Push at Davos Erodes Trust Among European Allies
President Donald Trump at a signing ceremony Thursday for the “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)(Chip Somodevilla)
DAVOS, Switzerland — President Donald Trump returned from the World Economic Forum in Davos declaring, “It was an incredible time in Davos.” But his public handling of a proposal involving Greenland — a Danish territory — alarmed European partners and raised fresh questions about trust within NATO.
At Davos and in subsequent interviews, Trump backed away from earlier, maximalist language about acquiring Greenland outright and instead emphasized seeking expanded U.S. military access — more troops, bases and hardware. “We’re getting everything we wanted — total security, total access to everything,” he told Fox Business.
Yet a Danish official who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity said most of what Trump described could already be achieved under existing agreements, and that Denmark’s one nonnegotiable red line was clear: Greenland must remain Danish territory. “We can discuss increased military presence and more troops. You name it, basically, you can have it,” the official said.
Trump’s public assurances — including a pledge not to seize Greenland by force and an apparent decision to refrain from using tariffs on Europe as leverage — helped calm financial markets. Still, diplomats, policy experts and officials warned that the episode had weakened the trust that underpins the transatlantic alliance.
“The damage has already been done,” said Aurel Sari, professor of international law at the University of Exeter. “NATO is based on shared values and trust. What is becoming very clear to European leaders, and to Canada as well, is that those values are not shared anymore. And the trust is simply not there.”
Longstanding figures at Davos also sounded the alarm about broader implications. Former central banker Mark Carney warned of a geopolitical “rupture,” and German politician Friedrich Merz cautioned that the international order anchored in law has been shaken, saying a new era of great-power competition is being built on power and force.
Trump’s social-media provocation — a post showing him apparently planting an American flag on Greenland next to a sign that read, “Greenland, US Territory, Est. 2026” — provoked public outrage in Europe. Roughly 10,000 Danes marched in Copenhagen to protest what many saw as an attempt to annex Greenland; some demonstrators wore hats reading, “Make America Go Away.”
In Davos, Trump at one point insisted that outright ownership was necessary and warned allies they would be remembered if they refused: “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember.” Hours later he appeared to retreat, saying on social media that, after meeting with NATO’s secretary-general, he had agreed to the “framework of a future deal,” dropping talk of outright ownership.
Experts said the episode’s political and market reverberations will linger. Kristine Berzina, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, argued that by publicly challenging a NATO ally’s sovereignty the president rattled investors and undermined allies’ confidence. Observers also warned that rival powers, notably Russia, could exploit the disruption: “Putin is celebrating this misguided effort,” Sen. Chris Coons said.
This account is based on reporting by NBC News and reflects statements and reactions from officials, analysts and participants at the World Economic Forum.
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