Trump's Greenland & Gaza Moves: Escalating Tensions with European Allies

President Trump on Tuesday escalated tensions with the United States’ longest allies, meeting diplomatic overtures with mocking online posts and threats of economic levies and territorial expansion, just hours before he was set to meet with European counterparts in the Swiss Alps. Mr. Trump warned that he would impose a new round of tariffs against European nations unless they acquiesced to his demands that the United States take over Greenland. He invited President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who European leaders have sought to isolate to counter his invasion of Ukraine, to join his new “board of peace” to reconstruct Gaza. He shared a post on social media that claimed China and Russia were simply “boogeymen” and that the United Nations and NATO were “the real threat.” The president even posted the private text messages of European leaders trying to strike conciliatory notes, and shared a computer-generated image of himself planting a flag on Greenland. “GREENLAND, US TERRITORY, EST. 2026,” read a wooden placard in the image. And when asked how far he was willing to go to acquire Greenland, Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House: “You’ll find out.” The bellicose statements and threats, just days before Mr. Trump was set to meet European leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, amounted to an extraordinary provocation of some of the United States’ closest allies. The president’s aggressive posture has effectively transformed what traditionally has been a brainstorming session among leaders of the world’s wealthiest countries into a showdown between a president emboldened over his power on the global stage and European heads of state concerned that the trans-Atlantic diplomatic alignment may be on the brink. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.