Will anyone stop Trump from taking Greenland?

Earlier today, Donald Trump sat behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, answering reporters’ questions with visibly puffy eyes, sickly moist skin, and hard-to-miss bloating in his face. He was combative and smug, like someone who knows things are going badly and believes that having power means he does not have to answer for it.

When a reporter pressed him about whether he was willing to leave NATO, Trump did not offer reassurance or clarity. He pushed back on the question and refused to say what he was “willing to do,” telling reporters he would not “give options.” Then he shifted straight to Greenland, repeating the same propaganda he has been saying over and over again, “The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of national security,” and claiming, “There’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland. But there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela.” What he was communicating was not subtle. He was saying that no one stopped him from using force in Venezuela, and that nothing would stop him from doing it again, but in Greenland.

Hearing him talk like this keeps making me think back to Trump’s interview with The New York Times, where he was asked if there were any limits on his global power. He said, “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” He went on to say, “I don’t need international law.” And I realize why history warns us about people who speak like this, and how there’s a specific name for leaders like him: authoritarians. They place themselves above the law, above alliances, and above consequence.

And of course, he wasn’t just talking about this to the press. He also took to his favorite platform, Truth Social. In one post, he mocked Denmark’s Arctic security, saying, “NATO: Tell Denmark to get them out of here, NOW! Two dogsleds won’t do it! Only the USA can!!!”

In another, he wrote: “The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent, Not even close! They know that, and so do I. NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES. Anything less than that is unacceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT”

We must take him at his word. He already orchestrated the removal of the leader of Venezuela in a military action that bypassed normal limits on presidential power. What he is saying here with Greenland is very clear: Greenland has to be in the hands of the United States, and anything less is unacceptable. In his view, he gets Greenland or else.

Greenland is not a bargaining chip. It is an autonomous territory with its own people, its own culture, and its own voice, and they have made that voice clear. They do not want to be bought or absorbed. They do not want to be controlled by the United States. And they shouldn’t have to keep repeating it.

Denmark and Greenland have been part of NATO since 1949. This isn’t some vague alliance on paper. It’s a commitment that has saved lives, stopped wars, and held the balance of peace in Europe for more than seventy-five years. After September 11, when we were attacked, it was the United States that invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in NATO’s history. And every ally stood up, including Denmark. They are a small country, far away, with no obligation beyond that shared promise, yet they sent soldiers to fight alongside us. And per capita, Denmark lost more soldiers in Afghanistan than any other NATO country. They kept their word, and they paid in blood for our security. They did what they said they would do.

This alliance matters. NATO isn’t a burden on the United States; it’s the reason we’ve been able to take European peace for granted. The reason we can travel, trade, study abroad, and live without thinking twice about another world war breaking out across the Atlantic. NATO isn’t just military coordination. It’s the glue that’s held together the idea that democracy means something. That when one country is attacked, the others show up. And now Trump is trying to tear that apart for his own ego and some demented fantasy of conquest.

But Trump does not care about any of this history. He does not think in systems or consequences. He does not see the larger picture, because he is only focused on looking like a strongman in the moment. Russia and China do. They are playing chess while he plays checkers. But more importantly, they are playing him. If Russia or China are whispering about Greenland, it’s not because they plan to invade it. They know NATO makes that nearly impossible. They are doing it to give Trump cover to fracture the alliance from within. And it’s working. Because Russia has one consistent strategic goal in Europe: weaken NATO. If NATO falls apart, Russia doesn’t need to invade Greenland. It can keep pressing at the edges of Eastern Europe, one country at a time, without collective defense stopping it. This is why Putin invaded Ukraine but not Poland. NATO is the line. And now, Greenland is where the line holds, for NATO itself and the whole world order.

That’s why what Denmark and Greenland are doing right now matters so much. They understand how serious this is because they know what it would mean if NATO starts to break and the rules that have kept the world stable for decades begin to crack. Today, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen met with Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and said the talks were “frank” and “constructive,” but he made it clear: a fundamental disagreement remains, and Greenland is not up for negotiation. He said Denmark and Greenland insist on respect for the U.N. Charter, territorial borders, and the right of the Greenlandic people to decide their own future. Rasmussen also said it is “absolutely not necessary” for the U.S. to seize Greenland and that Trump’s views are not in the interest of the Kingdom of Denmark. He added, “The President has made his view clear, and we have a different position. Ideas that would not respect the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of self-determination of the Greenlandic people are totally unacceptable.”

Denmark has already spent billions of dollars over the past two years to boost Arctic security and just announced plans to strengthen its military presence there. Other NATO allies, including France, Germany, and Sweden, are now sending troops to Greenland as a show of solidarity and to send a message to Trump: you don’t get to tear apart this alliance without a fight. Greenland has also made clear that they are willing to work with the United States to meet shared security goals, but on their terms. And certainly not by force, threats, or occupation. They are positioning themselves carefully, hoping U.S. military leadership will recognize what is happening and refuse illegal orders if they come. Everyone is walking on thin ice because provoking Trump could give him the excuse he wants. This is why resistance often looks quieter than people expect. It is not weakness. It is the fear of triggering a cascade that cannot be undone.

The American public sees through it. New polling shows overwhelming opposition to using force to acquire Greenland. More than 70 percent of respondents across parties said they oppose taking Greenland by military action. Even the idea of purchasing it is unpopular, with majorities either opposed or unsure. For once, there’s rare bipartisan agreement, Democrats, Republicans, and independents all largely agree that using military force to take Greenland would be a disaster. (Reuters/Ipsos poll, January 12–13, 2026; Quinnipiac poll, January 8–12, 2026)

And yet, while the public was making its position clear, the Senate did the opposite. They had a chance to defend the Constitution, and they choked. The War Powers Resolution would have required Trump to seek congressional approval before using military force in Venezuela. It had already passed with bipartisan support. But then the White House applied pressure, and Senators Josh Hawley and Todd Young caved. Two men who had already voted yes turned around and reversed themselves. The final vote was 51-50, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaker to kill it. Let that sink in: the Senate just handed away one of its most sacred constitutional duties, the power to decide when America goes to war, because two senators got a phone call and lost their nerve.

Trump and his enablers thought we would be too distracted by their attacks on Minnesota, or too exhausted to push back. But we are paying attention to Greenland. And we have not forgotten how this all works. The president doesn’t get to decide, alone, to upend international law. Congress doesn’t get to hand over its power and walk away. And Greenland does not belong to us or him. We must keep the pressure on Congress. They need to be reminded every single day between now and the midterms that they work for us. We elected them, and we are not okay with any of this. Greenland is holding the line. Not just for themselves, but for NATO, for Europe, for every rule that keeps this world from falling apart. And we have to decide: are we going to hold it too? This fight is worth it. Even on the days when it feels heavy and endless, it is still worth it. Because someday, I am going to write a different kind of post. One where we celebrate that we made it through this dark period. That we stood by our allies. That we didn’t let an unfit president tear down a global alliance built on trust, shared values, and sacrifice. That we remembered who we are, and we acted like it. There will be cheering in the streets. There will be a kind of joy we haven’t felt in years. There will be healing, slow but real. And there will be accountability. They will not get away with this.

I don’t know how long it will take or how hard it will get before this country remembers what it’s supposed to stand for. But I do know this: if Greenland can hold the line with the weight of the United States government pressing down on them, then we can too.

Because even now, even with all of this happening, I still have hope for America. And I hope you do too.

I’ll see you tomorrow,
Heather

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