The world is wondering what – if anything – could stop Trump from Greenland
As US President Donald Trump’s insistence on owning Greenland grows stronger, there is a growing sense of urgency around the world to find out what – if anything – can change his mind.
So far, nothing seems to discourage Trump: not the efforts of European politicians to flatter him, not the ambassadors’ proposals to improve security in the Arctic, not the polls suggesting that Americans are widely opposed to taking Greenland, not the new jitters in the stock markets.
While Trump was busy, Tuesday’s lengthy news conference — in which he spent an uninterrupted hour and 20 minutes touting the administration’s achievements since his inauguration last year — highlighted three words about the rift that threatens to tear apart the NATO alliance.
“How far are you willing to go to find Greenland?” asked the reporter.
“You’ll find out,” Trump replied.
While Trump has a history of backing up some of his most aggressive threats, those who want him to cease and desist from Greenland are struggling to figure out what would make him give up this time.
US President Donald Trump spoke at the White House on Tuesday, marking a year in office by repeating his demands to take over Greenland and his thoughts on whether the US will leave NATO.
“I don’t understand what you are doing in Greenland,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a private text to Trump, which the American leader then posted on social media.
Macron is not alone in understanding.
It is looking for ways to make Trump win
So far, NATO allies have tried to satisfy Trump’s thirst for control by offering to strengthen their joint military defense in Greenland and remind him of the 1951 agreement with Denmark that gives the US basically unrestricted access to build bases and station troops on the Arctic island.
Trump rejected that, insisted that anything less than US ownership of Greenland was unacceptable, and threatened Denmark and seven other European NATO countries with tariffs for refusing to comply with his demands.
Searching for ways to get Trump to “win” in Greenland – something short of territorial ownership that he still couldn’t present as a consummation of the deal – comes up empty.
So if NATO, the alliance the US is part of, can persuade Trump to ease up, can his political party do any better?
As US President Donald Trump continues to say that his push to take over Greenland is about national security, a text exchange with Norway’s prime minister reveals that not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize may be what drives him.
A few Republicans in Congress are beginning to show a willingness to call Trump on the issue.
Some evidence of that was seen on Sunday, when Americans tuned into major political events to see GOP lawmakers criticize the president’s handling of Greenland.
‘We must not attack you’
“We have full military access,” Michael McCaul of Texas told the ABC program This week of Greenland. “We shouldn’t attack it. If he wants to buy it, that’s fine, but I don’t see anyone willing to sell it right now.”
“There is no authority for the president to use the military to replace a NATO country,” said Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, in a CBS statement. Face the Nation.
“On the military invasion of Greenland, I heard there was no Republican support for that,” Kentucky Senator Rand Paul told NBC. Meet the Press. “As for trying to buy it quietly, you don’t get buyers to come up and yell at them and tell them you’re going to take it anyway.”
As Trump’s declining approval ratings threaten to drag down Republicans in swing states in next year’s midterms.some GOP strategists are confused about which politicsal benefit the party may gain from his Greenland tactics.
Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist who has advised Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole, says Trump appears to have lost sight of the pocketbook issues that matter to ordinary Americans.
“He’s driven by his passions,” Murphy told CNN on Tuesday. “He’s missing the midterm elections, which would be a disaster for him and his party.”
Mick Mulvaney, one of Trump’s first-term officials, said on the News Nation wire network. that he will advise Trump be aware and consider the consequences of his push for control.
“I’m very focused on the importance of Greenland, military importance, strategic minerals. I get all that. But what’s the cost?” Mulvaney said Monday.
Polls show little support for Greenland annexation
Most recent polls show little US voter support for taking Greenland, either among the general public or Trump-friendly voters.
One poll conducted by CBS News and YouGov last week found 86 percent of respondents opposed using the military to take over the Arctic island, with 70 percent of Republicans opposed.
As US President Donald Trump pushes his Greenland threats, there are indications that the majority of the American public is not behind this plan and some members of Congress are speaking out against its annexation.
Dan Cassino, a professor of government and politics who specializes in voting at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, says that in a country that is often divided between parties, it is rare to see such broad agreement on an issue.
“That’s because politicians don’t share ideas that would get that level of disapproval,” Cassino said in an interview with CBC News.
“When you’re talking about military action to get Greenland, we’re at the level of authorization that’s usually reserved for infectious diseases,” Cassino said.
Trump arrives at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesdayno. The world will be watching his eagerly awaited speech for any further escalation of his threats on Greenland or hints about his intentions with NATO.
“I’ve done more for NATO than any other person living or dead,” Trump told reporters at a White House news conference on Tuesday.
“But NATO should treat us properly,” he added. “We spend a lot of money with NATO, and I know we will help. But I wonder if they will come to ours or not.”
