Politics - News Analysis
Denmark Prime Minister Shocked to Find Trump is Dead Serious About Greenland in ‘Horrendous’ Call
Why do people keep thinking he's bluffing?
Donald Trump is absolutely intent on the United States controlling Greenland, as Denmark’s Prime Minister and five senior European officials were dismayed to learn via telephone last week.
The Financial Times is reporting that there was a 45-minute call from Trump to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that has been variously described as “horrendous” and “fiery.”
From the FT report:
Five current and former senior European officials briefed on the call said the conversation had gone very badly.
They added that Trump had been aggressive and confrontational following the Danish prime minister’s comments that the island was not for sale, despite her offer of more co-operation on military bases and mineral exploitation.
“It was horrendous,” said one of the people. Another added: “He was very firm. It was a cold shower. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous.”
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
A statement from a White House National Security spokesperson said “President Trump has been clear that the safety and security of Greenland is important to the United States as China and Russia make significant investments throughout the Arctic region. The President is committed to not only protecting US interests in the Arctic but also working with Greenland to ensure mutual prosperity for both nations.”
Earlier this month, Trump had threatened tariffs and duties on Denmark if they opposed him on Greenland, and even refused to rule out using military force to take control of the island.
“People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it but, if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security,” Trump said at the time. There is, of course, no doubt about whether Denmark has a legal right to the island; it is a Danish territory, much like the island of Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. This is like if Denmark told Trump that they were on their way to San Juan, and would fire on the island if America didn’t surrender it.
Frederiksen did say that Denmark would cooperate more with the US, but it wasn’t enough for Trump. And according to a characterization in The Hill, it could be that PM Frederiksen pushed back at all that triggered Donald Trump’s anger.
“I’m sure that Denmark will come along,” Trump said on the day of his inauguration. But one American foreign policy expert who met with Frederiksen said the Danish PM “is viewed as a no-nonsense, security-focused professional” who wouldn’t be trifled with.
“She’s like the John Bolton of Europe; she’s hard-charging,” the expert said. “She doesn’t seem like the type that would give any ground. Not that she’s unreasonable, but not the kind that would take any sh*t.”
Trump has famously made overtures not just about seizing Greenland, but about taking back the Panama Canal and even annexing most or all of Canada as “the 51st State.” Every time he’s made a statement like this, people have treated it as a joke at first, only to find that he’s deathly serious.
The problem with that hardline kind of talk is that now, not only is Denmark — and therefore the rest of NATO — on the defensive since he hasn’t ruled out military force, but that will go doubly for the much larger economic and military nation of Canada.
Further, the fact is that talk of annexation and land seizure like this only empowers Russia, whose war with Ukraine Trump promised to end immediately after he took office.
That entire war was premised on the idea that Russia had some claim to the former Soviet republic, as though it had not become a nation of its own more than 30 years ago. They see Trump’s plans for American expansion as justification for their own actions.
Worse still, Trump has no real power over Russia or their plans, and in fact was humiliated by Russia and Putin before he was even inaugurated when they revealed that there were no discussions for a meeting between Trump and Putin immediately after Trump publicly declared that there were negotiations in the works.
However all of this ends up, it is guaranteed that Donald Trump will end up looking like the villain. His thuggish posturing and feigned outrage that a “tiny nation” like Denmark would even dare to try and stand up to him will paint a historical picture of a tyrant, not a president.
Trump may think that even bad attention is good attention, but the rest of us certainly don’t.
Comments
Comments are currently closed.