After spending weeks threatening to seize Greenland, the U.S. government has the gall to ask Denmark for help in ‘egg crisis’

If you turned on the news once during the Fall of 2024, there’s zero doubt at least one of Donald Trump‘s rants about the cost of eggs crossed the screen. His campaign relentlessly blasted the Biden administration for the price of eggs, but after cinching his win in November, he and his base have been quiet. Diverting attention from the rapidly rising costs of everyday goods by threatening Canada and Greenland with annexation, Trump has successfully managed to pivot attention away — until now.

Weeks of rising egg prices — with costs skyrocketing 12% in February alone — have finally forced the President to reckon with a problem of his own design. The situation has become untenable in the States, and the only recourse seems to be leaning on allies to help ease the pressure. It’s easier said than done now that he’s strained alliances across the globe after weeks of attacking allies and slapping silly tariffs on everything he can think of. We all knew Trump was as audacious as they come, but in a new low, he is looking to Denmark’s help to ease the shortage.

Eggs in America have hit a national average of almost six dollars a dozen, up from just two in 2020. The rising costs come from an increase in bird flu cases, which prompted the Biden administration to cull flocks, killing almost 150 million birds in an attempt to slow the spread. Egg-laying hens have been disproportionately affected, leading to shortages nationwide.

If you’re wondering why Trump would look to Denmark after relentlessly pestering the country for its sovereign territory of Greenland, you’re not the only one. He’s done nothing to ingratiate the country to his particular brand of leadership in his few short weeks in office, and has actively peeved Prime Minister Múte Egede, alongside much of the country’s 6 million inhabitants. Trump’s obsession with the small territory hinges on its defensive position in the East and, in no small part, its “vast untapped wealth of minerals” that Trump deemed “strategic.”

Regardless of why he wants it, Trump’s obsession with Greenland has rankled politicians across the globe who find zero humor in the situation. And after weeks of continuously spitting in the face of world leaders to, we can only assume, get a laugh out of his meme lord buddy Elon Musk, Washington is suddenly confused why its allies aren’t leaping to help with the looming crisis.

We’re guessing it’s his fundamental misunderstanding of hard and soft power. Trump, like every weak man, thinks power only comes in one form. He sees himself as Clint Eastwood, swaggering around threatening to shoot anyone who looks at him sideways. Trump sees power only in violence. Soft power, like that which the U.S. has historically wielded through USAID by helping allies, makes it much easier to get friendly nations to help out when times get hard. Just as a friend is more likely to help you move once you help them, soft power operates in a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” manner.

The Danish Egg Association (yes, that is a real thing) has heard Washington’s request for eggs, but says there isn’t a surplus of eggs overseas. The U.S. isn’t the only country suffering from bird flu outbreaks. According to Reuters, one official says, “There is a shortage of eggs everywhere on a global scale because consumption is increasing and many are affected by bird flu.” Sounds like it might be time to start living that homestead lifestyle if you’re looking for an omelette in the near future.