Since conducting a military strike on Venezuela, Donald Trump has remained adamant about taking control of Greenland. He claims that acquiring the island will serve defensive purposes, but global leaders have pushed back against his position. Now, he has made another major move to try to ensure that his plan advances.
According to The Guardian, the president agreed to a meeting in Davos with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, doubling down on his claim that the United States should fully take over Greenland. He posted that the step is necessary for national and world security, and “there can be no going back — On that, everyone agrees.”
The tone shifted overnight when he shared an AI-generated image of himself on social media featuring him and European leaders in the Oval Office. That was not all: the image also included a map depicting Greenland, Venezuela and Canada as part of what he portrayed as his “ideal” United States.
Donald J. Trump Truth Social Post 12:58 AM EST 01.20.26
President Trump just posted a photo of the Oval Office with him displaying a map that shows Greenland, Venezuela and Canada as part of the United States of America pic.twitter.com/krAMvY65Qa
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 20, 2026
The situation worsened when Donald Trump set social media ablaze by leaking private messages from Emmanuel Macron, the president of France. In the text messages, Macron proposed setting up a G7 meeting and inviting the leaders of Ukraine, Syria, Denmark and Russia.
In a separate report from Euronews, the POTUS proposed that Macron join the Gaza Board of Peace. However, France “does not intend” to accept the invitation, prompting Trump to propose a 200% tariff on French wines and champagnes. He clarified that the tariffs were imposed to prevent France from becoming hostile and to shut down any idea of Macron joining his side.
The French side took note of the threat, with a source from the president’s entourage saying,
“As we have always emphasized, tariff threats to influence our foreign policy are unacceptable and ineffective.”
During an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent justified the United States’ intent to acquire Greenland and said that the “Europeans project weakness.” He said,
“If there were an attack on Greenland from Russia, from some other area, we would get dragged in—so better now. Peace through strength.”
He emphasized that the United States is currently the strongest country in the world and that making Greenland part of it would ensure safety because “they are strongest country in the world.” Following the comments, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs posted a sarcastic one-liner drawing a parallel to situations that could lead to future problems. They tweeted,
“If there were a fire someday, firefighters would intervene — so better burn the house now.”
“If a shark might attack someday, intervention would follow — so better eat the lifeguard now.”
“If there were a crash someday, damage would occur — so better ram the car now.” https://t.co/gXBEAONzPq
— French Response (@FrenchResponse) January 18, 2026
On Saturday, Donald Trump stated that he would impose 10% tariffs on eight European countries, which includes France as well, starting from February 01, 2026. The rate would bump up to 25% by June 01, 2026, if they continue to disagree with his defensive plans with Greenland.
During a meeting at the World Economic Forum (via the European Commission), Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, proposed the idea of “European independence.” She explained how recent events forced them to make structural changes, and they should “capitalize” on the given opportunity for the bigger picture.
Leyen emphasized that they will choose “fair trade over tariffs,” will not get exploited, and will choose to diversify their “supply chains.” She mentioned that they want to do business and would always choose the world and demanded “ambition” for the security of their continent.
