Trump, sharing leaked texts and AI mock-ups, vows 'no going back' on Greenland

WASHINGTON/DAVOS/COPENHAGEN — US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (Jan 20) there was "no going back" on his goal to control Greenland, refusing to rule out taking the Arctic island by force and lashing out at Nato allies as European leaders struggled to respond.

But later Trump, who is due to join European leaders at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, told a news conference that he thought, "We will work something out where Nato is going to be very happy and where we're going to be very happy."

Trump's ambition — spelt out in social media posts and mock-up AI images — to wrest sovereignty over Greenland from fellow Nato member Denmark has threatened to blow apart the alliance that has underpinned Western security for decades.

It has also threatened to reignite a trade war with Europe that rattled markets and companies last year, though Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushed back against what he called "hysteria" over Greenland.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday after speaking to Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said, "Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back — On that, everyone agrees!"

To drive home the message, he posted an AI image of himself in Greenland, holding a US flag. Another showed him speaking to leaders next to a map showing Canada and Greenland as part of the United States.

Asked later how far he was willing to go to acquire Greenland, Trump told reporters at the White House: "You'll find out."

But Trump said he had a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland in Switzerland and added: "I think things are going to work out pretty well."

Separately, Trump leaked messages including from French President Emmanuel Macron, who questioned what Trump was "doing on Greenland". Trump had earlier threatened to hammer French wines and champagnes with a 200 per cent tariff.

Danish PM strikes defiant tone on Greenland

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she would not yield to Trump's demands and abandon Greenland.

"The American president has unfortunately not ruled out the use of military force. And therefore the rest of us cannot rule it out either," she told reporters.

An agreement on sharing responsibility for the security of the Arctic and the North Atlantic could offer a way out of the stand-off, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told Reuters at the WEF in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

European leaders took to the stage in Davos attempting to project the continent's strength, though it was not immediately clear how the European Union will eventually respond.

Macron said the EU should not bend to "the law of the strongest".

"We do believe that we need more growth, we need more stability in this world, but we do prefer respect to bullies," Macron told the meeting in Davos.

Some spoke of the importance of reducing European dependence for security on the United States. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described a "seismic change" that made it necessary to build a "new form of European independence".

Also speaking in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he strongly opposed any US tariffs linked to the Greenland issue.

The EU has threatened to hit back with trade measures. One option is a package of tariffs on 93 billion euros (S$139 billion) of US imports that could automatically kick in on Feb 6 after a six-month suspension.

Another option is the "Anti-Coercion Instrument" (ACI), known informally as the EU's "trade bazooka", which allows tough measures including restrictions on lucrative digital services provided by US tech giants in Europe. It has never yet been used, but Macron, who has raised the prospect of invoking it, insisted again on Tuesday it was on the table.

Asked what he would do if the US Supreme Court were to rule against him on the legality of tariffs he has threatened against European allies over the issue, Trump said:

"Well I'll have to use something else... we have other alternatives, but what we're doing now is the best, the strongest, the fastest, the easiest, the least complicated."

Bessent, also in Davos, said a solution would be found that ensures national security for the United States and Europe.

Russia questions Danish sovereignty over Greenland

Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, which has been watching with glee the widening US split with Europe, said, "Greenland is not a natural part of Denmark", while denying any Russian designs on the island, as Trump has suggested.

Trump's renewed tariff threats have revived talk of the "Sell America" trade that emerged in the aftermath of his sweeping levies last April.

All three major Wall Street indexes closed well down on Tuesday, joining other global stock markets in a broad selloff triggered by concerns that Trump's fresh tariff threats against Europe could signal renewed market volatility.

Gold climbed to another record high, scaling the unprecedented US$4,700 (S$6,032) an ounce milestone as escalating geopolitical tensions boosted safe-haven demand.

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