January 21, 2026
Trump tells Davos "I won't use force" for Greenland but US would be "unstoppable" in armed conflict with Europe
Trump rules out force but warns NATO allies "we will remember"
🌍Foreign Policy🛡️National Security🌍Foreign Policy
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 21, 2026, Trump said: 'We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won't do that. Now everyone's saying, oh good. That's probably the biggest statement I made because people thought I would use force. I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force.' Despite ruling out force, Trump's statement that the U.S. would be 'unstoppable' in armed conflict with Europe was widely interpreted as a threat.
Trump warned Denmark and NATO allies: 'We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won't give it. We've never asked for anything else. So they have a choice. You can say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember.' This language echoed mob-style negotiations, with TIME magazine comparing it to a line from Goodfellas: 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way.' Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said it was 'positive' that Trump took military force off the table but 'that does not make the problem go away.'
Days before traveling to Davos, Trump announced new tariffs on eight European countries over their obstinance on the Greenland issue. The European Parliament formally halted work on the implementation of a trade deal reached with Trump after his threat of new tariffs. Trump said he's seeking 'immediate negotiations' to acquire Greenland but that Denmark faces a choice between cooperation and facing consequences the U.S. 'will remember.'
Greenland is the world's largest island, sits in the Arctic, and governs its own domestic affairs while remaining within the Kingdom of Denmark. Trump described Greenland as 'a vast, almost entirely uninhabited and undeveloped territory that's sitting undefended in a key strategic location between the United States, Russia and China.' He said, 'This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America on the northern frontier of the Western Hemisphere. That's our territory.' Trump claimed securing Greenland would strengthen NATO, not threaten it.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have flatly rejected Trump's proposal to buy the island. Several NATO allies condemned Trump's Greenland push, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who warned before Trump's Davos speech that the world was 'in the midst of a rupture' of the international order. French President 
Emmanuel Macron warned of a 'shift toward autocracy' and lamented that 'conflict has become normalized,' saying 'the only law that seems to matter is that of the strongest, and imperial ambitions are resurfacing.'
Trump questioned whether NATO allies would come to the U.S.'s aid, flipping NATO's Article 5 mutual defense commitment on its head. He said, 'The big fear I have with NATO is we spend tremendous amounts of money with NATO, and I know we'll come to their rescue, but I just really do question whether or not they'll come to ours. I'm just asking. Just saying.' NATO's Article 5 has only been invoked once, after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., when NATO allies deployed aircraft to patrol U.S. skies in an anti-terror operation.
Trump also attacked European values, saying, 'Certain places in Europe are not recognizable anymore. They're not recognizable. In recent decades, it became conventional wisdom in Washington and European capitals that the only way to grow a modern western economy was through ever-increasing government spending, unchecked mass migration, and endless foreign imports.' He claimed U.S. control of Greenland is necessary because 'you need the ownership to defend it, you can't defend it on a lease. Who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or a lease?'
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a forceful speech arguing that Trump's policies are leading to the breakdown of the international order. Carney said, 'Let me be direct: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. Great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited.' He called on other nations to 'stop invoking rules-based international order as though it still functions as advertised' and instead 'call it what it is: a system of intensifying great power rivalry.'
🌍Foreign Policy🛡️National Security🌍Foreign Policy
People, bills, and sources
Donald Trump
President of the United States
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Danish Foreign Minister
Mark Carney
Canadian Prime Minister
Emmanuel Macron
French President
Scott Bessent
Treasury Secretary
What you can do
1
civic action
Contact your senator about NATO Article 5 commitment
Demand they reaffirm the U.S. commitment to NATO's mutual defense clause and oppose any attempt to condition Article 5 on Greenland acquisition
Hi, I'm calling to urge Senator [Name] to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to NATO Article 5 and oppose conditioning it on Greenland.
Key points:
- Trump questioned whether NATO allies would defend the U.S.
- Article 5 was only invoked once, to defend the U.S. after 9/11
- Trump's Greenland push is straining our oldest alliances
- European allies are questioning U.S. reliability
Questions:
- Will the senator introduce a resolution reaffirming Article 5?
- Will the senator oppose tariffs designed to pressure allies on Greenland?
Request: I want the senator to publicly reaffirm NATO commitments and oppose efforts to use tariffs or threats to acquire Greenland.
2
civic action
Demand House Foreign Affairs oversight of Greenland tariff threats
Call House Foreign Affairs Committee to investigate whether using tariffs to pressure allies on territorial demands violates trade law and NATO obligations
Hi, I'm calling to demand House Foreign Affairs Committee oversight of Trump's use of tariffs to pressure NATO allies on Greenland.
Key points:
- Trump announced tariffs on 8 European countries over Greenland opposition
- He told Denmark and allies 'you can say yes or we will remember'
- This weaponizes trade policy for territorial expansion
- European Parliament halted work on trade deal implementation
Questions:
- Will the committee investigate whether tariff threats violate NATO obligations?
- Does using economic coercion against allies undermine U.S. credibility?
Request: I want hearings investigating whether the administration can legally use tariffs to pressure allies on territorial demands unrelated to trade.
3
civic action
Contact Senate Foreign Relations about undermining international norms
Demand the committee hold hearings on how Trump's Greenland threats damage the rules-based international order that prevents might-makes-right conflicts
Hi, I'm calling to urge the Foreign Relations Committee to hold hearings on Trump's Greenland threats and their impact on international norms.
Key points:
- Trump said the U.S. would be 'unstoppable' in armed conflict with Europe over Greenland
- He's using tariffs as 'leverage' to pressure territorial concessions
- French President Macron warned of 'shift toward autocracy' where 'only law that matters is that of the strongest'
- Canadian PM Carney said we're in 'a rupture' of the international order
Questions:
- Will the committee examine how this undermines post-WWII norms against territorial expansion?
- What message does this send to Russia, China, and other powers?
Request: I want hearings on how abandoning rules-based order encourages other powers to use force or coercion for territorial expansion.
4
civic action
Support legislation limiting presidential tariff authority
Contact your representative to support bills requiring congressional approval before presidents can impose tariffs for non-trade reasons
Hi, I'm calling to urge Representative [Name] to support legislation limiting presidential tariff authority.
Key points:
- Trump announced tariffs on 8 European countries over Greenland opposition
- These tariffs have nothing to do with trade policy
- He's weaponizing trade authority Congress delegated for economic purposes
- European allies are preparing retaliation, escalating to trade war
Questions:
- Will the representative support legislation requiring congressional approval for non-trade tariffs?
- Will they support bills clawing back excessive presidential trade authority?
Request: I want legislation ensuring presidents can't use tariff authority delegated for trade purposes to pressure allies on unrelated territorial demands.