Donald Trump took the stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos and delivered an hour-long speech where he addressed the issues that have been plaguing his second term in the White House — from Somali immigrants in Minnesota to his relationship with Gavin Newsom. But Greenland grabbed all the headlines, because nobody truly knew how Trump would address the touchy subject in front of European leaders.
Tensions were at an all-time high even before Trump set foot in Switzerland. In multiple press conferences, he had suggested that “military options” were not out of the question when it came to acquiring Greenland from Denmark. And considering his approach to Venezuela just recently, NATO leadership knew better than to dismiss his threats as empty talk. But during his Davos speech, Trump announced that military options are no longer on the table.
Trump later took to Truth Social after the meeting to announce that he had come to an agreement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. To many in the region, Rutte has grown into the de facto “Trump whisperer,” even if that sometimes comes at the expense of his own dignity — such as the time he called the US president “daddy” in front of international news.
This just went up from Trump on truth social. Greenland talks pic.twitter.com/l4VIgnPxvt
— Adam Boulton (@adamboultonTABB) January 21, 2026
Trump pleaded with EU leadership that after all he has done for the region — and the fact that they’ve never given anything in return — all he asks for is Greenland. The administration has insisted that this is not a play to secure minerals from the sparsely populated region, but rather to construct the Golden Dome missile defense program. Trump added that while he expects more discussions in the future, he’s satisfied with the “framework of a future deal” they have arrived at for now.
The vague statement doesn’t put everything to rest, but it does ease concerns of a further conflict over the matter. As things stood, Europe faced a dilemma: treat America like an adversary, or feel pressured to give up sovereignty. Because nothing about Trump suggests that if he could arm-twist them into one concession, he would stop there. However, Trump must have had a productive meeting with NATO, because he suddenly felt comfortable expressing his other interests in Greenland. Trump said, “They’re going to be involved in the Golden Dome, and they’re going to be involved in mineral rights, and so are we.”
Trump told reporters that in the meeting his team secured “everything we wanted.” A NATO spokesperson, however, issued a statement that sounded noticeably different, saying, “The Secretary General did not propose any compromise to sovereignty during his meeting with the President in Davos.”
Collins: Does the deal still include the United States having ownership of Greenland, like you've said you wanted?
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 21, 2026
Trump: Uhh it’s a long term deal pic.twitter.com/VHB0Hu20UD
Until the documents are presented and signed, nobody can know how favorable the deal will be to the United States. But for now, it appears NATO is interpreting the dispute as Greenland protecting its sovereignty first, rather than bargaining over its minerals. It remains to be seen whether Denmark and its allies see the outcome the same way.
Published: Jan 22, 2026 08:09 am