After his vow not to invade Greenland militarily calmed European leaders and U.S. investors, President Donald Trump in a Wednesday post to Truth Social after his speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) said a "framework" for a future deal on Greenland and "the entire Arctic" has been reached.
During his speech in Davos, Switzerland, Trump told European leaders that no nation can defend Greenland the way the U.S. can, using a World War II reference to underscore his point.
“Without us, you’d all be speaking German and a little Japanese, perhaps,” Trump said, adding that Denmark, which currently controls Greenland, was unable to defend itself from Nazi Germany in WWII.
“After just six hours of fighting, it was totally unable to defend itself and Greenland,” Trump said of Denmark.
Trump said the U.S. got involved to win that war, and that history is repeating itself, noting that Greenland in 2026 is sitting, undefended, in a key location between the U.S. and adversaries such as Russia and China.
“I have tremendous respect for both the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark,” the president said. “The fact is, no nation or group of nations is in any position to secure Greenland other than the United States.”
Trump pointed out that, in the post-World War II period, the U.S. effectively returned Greenland to European control after defeating the Axis powers.
The U.S. occupied Greenland following the war and made agreements with Denmark to maintain a military presence, namely through its Pituffik Space Base.
“We gave it back to them,” Trump said, adding, “You can’t defend it on a lease. Psychologically, who the hell wants to defend a license agreement?”
In his post to Truth Social, Trump wrote:
Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st. Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland. Further information will be made available as discussions progress. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and various others, as needed, will be responsible for the negotiations — They will report directly to me. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
