Analysis: The world wonders what — if anything — can restrain Trump on Greenland
U.S. polling suggests widespread opposition to taking Greenland by force, even among Republicans
As U.S. President Donald Trump’s insistence on owning Greenland becomes even more vehement, there’s a growing sense of urgency around the globe to figure out what — if anything — could change his mind.
So far, nothing appears to be dissuading Trump: not attempts by European politicians to flatter him, not diplomats’ proposals for enhancing Arctic security, not polling that suggests Americans broadly oppose taking over Greenland, and not fresh stock market jitters.
During Trump’s rambling, epic-length news conference Tuesday — where he spent an hour and 20 uninterrupted minutes touting his administration’s accomplishments since his inauguration last year — three words jumped out regarding the standoff that threatens to rip apart the NATO alliance.
“How far are you willing to go to acquire Greenland?” a reporter asked.
“You’ll find out,” Trump responded.
While Trump has a track record of backing down on some of his most ill-tempered threats, those who want him to cease and desist on Greenland are struggling to uncover what would prompt him to give up this time.
“I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a private text to Trump, which the U.S. leader then posted on social media.
Macron is far from alone in not understanding.
Searching for ways to give Trump a win
Until now, NATO allies have tried to satisfy Trump’s thirst for control by offering to beef up their collective military protection of Greenland and reminding him of the 1951 treaty with Denmark that gives the U.S. basically unfettered access to build bases and station troops on the Arctic island.
Trump rejected that alternative, insisting that anything less than U.S. ownership of Greenland is unacceptable, then threatened tariffs on Denmark and seven other European NATO countries for refusing to comply with his demands.
The search for ways to give Trump a “win” on Greenland — something short of territorial ownership that he could still brandish as a deal-making accomplishment — is coming up empty.
So if NATO, an alliance to which the U.S. belongs, can’t persuade Trump to ease off the throttle, can the political party to which he belongs do any better?
A few Republicans in Congress are starting to show some willingness to call Trump out on this issue.
Some evidence of that was apparent on Sunday, when Americans tuning into the major network political programs saw GOP lawmakers criticizing the president’s Greenland fixation.
‘We don’t have to invade it’
“We have full military access,” Texas Republican Michael McCaul told the ABC program This Week of Greenland. “We don’t have to invade it. If he wants to buy it, that’s fine, but I don’t see a willing seller right now.”
“There certainly is no authority that the president has to use military force to seize territory from a NATO country,” Mike Turner, the Ohio Republican who sits on the House Armed Services committee, said on CBS’s Face The Nation.
“On militarily invading Greenland, I’ve heard of no Republican support for that,” Kentucky Senator Rand Paul told NBC’s Meet The Press. “As far as trying to buy it peacefully, you don’t get purchasers to come around by berating them and telling them you’ll take it anyway.”
As Trump’s slumping approval ratings threaten to drag down Republicans in swing districts in the upcoming midterm elections, some GOP strategists are baffled about what political advantage the party could gain from his Greenland tactics.
Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist who advised senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole, says Trump appears to be losing sight of the pocketbook issues that matter to ordinary Americans.
“He’s so driven by his own crazy appetites,” Murphy told CNN on Tuesday. “He’s missing the focus of the midterm elections, which could be catastrophic for him and his party.”
Mick Mulvaney, one of Trump’s first-term chiefs of staff, said on the right-leaning News Nation cable network that he would advise Trump to be careful and think through the consequences of his push for control.
“I’m all in on the importance of Greenland, the military importance, the strategic minerals. I get all of that. But at what cost?” Mulvaney said Monday.
Polls show little support for Greenland takeover
Multiple recent polls show little voter support in the U.S. for taking over Greenland, whether among the overall public or Trump-friendly voters.
One poll by CBS News and YouGov last week found 86 per cent of respondents oppose using military force to take over the Arctic island, with 70 per cent of Republicans against it as well.
Dan Cassino, a professor of government and politics who specializes in polling at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, says in a country so often split along partisan lines, it’s rare to see such broad agreement on an issue.
“That’s largely because politicians don’t float ideas that would get that level of disapproval,” Cassino said in an interview with CBC News.
“When you talk about military action to get Greenland, we’re at a level of approval normally reserved for contagious diseases,” Cassino said.
Trump arrives at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday. The world will be watching his hotly anticipated speech for any further ratcheting up of his threats over Greenland or hints about his intentions with NATO.
“I did more for NATO than any other person alive or dead,” Trump told reporters at Tuesday’s White House news conference.
“But NATO has to treat us fairly,” he added. “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.”
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: How many military bases are there in the Arctic? Here are the facts, CBC News
Denmark: EU chief promises ‘unflinching’ response to new tariffs as Trump trolls and threatens on social media, Reuters
Finland: Finland not sending more troops to Greenland, Yle News
Greenland: New Italy Arctic policy adds U.S. Greenland ambitions to growing Arctic competition narrative, Eye on the Arctic
Iceland: NATO chief to Arctic Allies: “We’re all frontline states now,” as Iceland’s role grows, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: “We want to be Europe’s most integrated region in terms of defence”, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Russia claims first-ever North Pole aerial refuelling, TASS reports, Reuters
Sweden: Swedish military intelligence on the great power rivalry over Greenland, Radio Sweden
United States: EU to hold emergency summit on Trump’s tariff threat over Greenland, Reuters
