Greenland’s government says it is preparing for the possibility of U.S. military force as President Donald Trump renews threats to take control of the island. European leaders are now publicly pushing back, breaking weeks of diplomatic restraint as Trump arrives in Davos.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Tuesday that an American attack is “not likely” but cannot be ruled out, adding that his government is reviewing civil preparedness plans. Former Prime Minister Mute B. Egede said officials are considering advising households to keep five days of food on hand.
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“We must be prepared for all the things that may happen,” Egede said.
Both men condemned Trump’s recent social media threats as “disrespectful” and said Greenland would respond through formal diplomatic channels. They also warned that any escalation would have consequences beyond Greenland, which is part of the Danish kingdom and a NATO territory.
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When Germany invaded Denmark in 1940, the U.S. assumed defense of Greenland under a 1941 agreement, establishing bases there.
Greenland braces, protests spread
Demonstrations have broken out in Nuuk against Trump’s push for control of the island, with protesters warning against U.S. occupation and rejecting any sale of Greenland to Washington.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stayed in Copenhagen instead of attending the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos. She told Parliament that Denmark and Greenland had not asked to become “the center of a conflict between the United States and Europe.”
She warned that Trump’s tariff threats tied to Greenland would cost jobs on both sides of the Atlantic and harm the economy. Denmark has sent about 100 soldiers to western Greenland and deployed its army chief as part of a visible security show, a move analysts say is aimed at signaling seriousness about Arctic defense.
Greenland’s leadership has repeated that the island is not for sale and does not want to become part of the United States. Nielsen said Greenlanders would choose to remain aligned with Denmark if forced to decide.
Trump escalates the rhetoric
Trump has not directed the Pentagon to prepare invasion plans, according to two U.S. officials cited by The New York Times. He has continued to threaten tariffs against European allies to force negotiations over Greenland.
Asked Tuesday at the White House press briefing how far he would go to acquire the territory, Trump responded, “You’ll find out.”
On Truth Social, he called Greenland “imperative for national and world security” and said there could be “no going back.”
Trump is scheduled to speak Wednesday at the World Economic Forum, where the Greenland dispute is expected to dominate private meetings and public sessions.
Europe starts speaking out
European lawmakers have begun breaking diplomatic protocol to confront Trump directly.
During a debate at the European Parliament on Tuesday, Danish lawmaker Anders Vistisen said Greenland was not for sale before addressing Trump by name.
“Let me put this in words you might understand: Mr. President, f— off,” Vistisen said, drawing gasps from the chamber before being reprimanded for violating parliamentary rules.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a sharper institutional rebuke from the Davos stage, warning that Europe would not submit to coercion tied to territorial sovereignty.
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“Europe has very strong tools now and we have to use them when we are not respected, and when the rules of the game are not respected,” Macron said.
Macron said France would not capitulate to what he described as bullying and warned that the accumulation of new U.S. tariffs was “unacceptable,” particularly when used as leverage over Greenland.
He said Washington’s trade threats were aimed at weakening and subordinating Europe.
France is one of eight countries Trump has threatened with a new 10% tariff starting Feb. 1 if they do not drop opposition to a U.S. acquisition of Greenland.
Newsom joins the rebellion
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also used Davos as a platform to criticize Europe’s response to Trump.
“I can’t take this complicity,” Newsom told reporters. “People rolling over. I should have brought a bunch of knee pads for all the world leaders. I mean this is pathetic.”
Newsom said European leaders privately criticize Trump while publicly accommodating him.
“This guy’s playing folks for fools,” he said. “Everybody’s talking behind his back. They’re laughing at him, and meanwhile, they’re sucking up to him.”
Newsom urged European leaders to unite and push back against Trump’s tariff threats, telling them to “have a backbone” and warning that continued accommodation would only invite further pressure.
