Trump Escalates Greenland Push, Alarming Allies and Deepening Transatlantic Rift

US President Donald Trump has stepped up his efforts to reshape global power dynamics, declaring there is “no going back” on his ambition to seize control of Greenland. His approach combines economic pressure, leaked private communications and AI-generated propaganda, drawing sharp criticism from allies and prompting one senior UK politician to brand him an “international gangster”.

Greenland is not the only front. Gaza and wider Middle East policy have also become targets of Trump’s increasingly confrontational diplomacy.

In his second term, Trump has adopted a far more aggressive international posture, following the recent use of US military force to change the government in Venezuela. He is now challenging both Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland and Europe’s independence in shaping policy on Gaza and the broader Middle East.

Tensions have risen with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has expressed reluctance to join a US-backed “Board of Peace” for Gaza, warning it could undermine the United Nations. As world leaders gather at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump’s administration has sought to play down the controversy. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dismissed concerns as “hysteria”, while Trump refused to rule out the use of force to pursue his objectives.

After speaking with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump reinforced his stance on social media, insisting Greenland is vital for “National and World Security” and necessary to counter threats from China and Russia.

Trump has also linked his fixation on Greenland to his frustration at not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. In a letter to Norway, he suggested that his failure to win the award had diminished his interest in pursuing peace. Although Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado has reportedly presented her medal to Trump, the Nobel Foundation has confirmed that prizes remain permanently associated with their original recipients.

The president has further fuelled tensions by sharing AI-generated images online, including one depicting him planting a US flag in Greenland and another showing Greenland and Canada absorbed into the United States. His repeated suggestion that Canada should become the “51st state” has drawn firm pushback from Ottawa.

Breaking with diplomatic convention, Trump also published a private text message from President Macron expressing confusion over Washington’s pursuit of Greenland. French officials confirmed the message was genuine but said it reflected Macron’s publicly stated position.

Tariffs have remained a central tool. Trump announced plans for import duties of 10% to 25%, due to take effect in February, targeting eight European countries that back Denmark’s refusal to negotiate over Greenland. He explicitly linked the measures to the deployment of European troops on the island.

The same tactic has been used elsewhere, including pressure on India over its oil trade with Russia, and has now extended into Middle East diplomacy. When Macron hesitated to join the Gaza “Board of Peace”, Trump threatened a 200% tariff on French wines and champagne, adding that Macron’s time in office was limited.

The proposed board has raised further concerns, with a draft charter reportedly requiring member states to contribute $1 billion in cash to retain membership beyond three years. Invitations have been sent to at least 60 countries, including India, Pakistan and Russia.

The strongest political backlash has emerged in the UK. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey told Parliament that Trump was behaving like an “international gangster”, accusing him of threatening allies’ sovereignty, undermining NATO and using tariffs as coercion. He warned that Britain’s long-standing “special relationship” with the US was close to breaking point and argued that the only beneficiaries of the turmoil were Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping.

As the February tariff deadline approaches, the European Union is preparing countermeasures. Officials are considering retaliatory tariffs worth up to €93 billion and the possible use of the bloc’s Anti-Coercion Instrument, which would allow sanctions on individuals, restrictions on investment and limits on access to European digital markets.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has suggested a lasting shift is underway, speaking of a “new independent Europe”. The Trump administration, however, continues to insist the situation is being exaggerated, with Bessent telling allies in Davos to “take a deep breath” and claiming relations with Europe have never been closer.