Donald Trump sends ominous textual content message amid tense Greenland stand-off

On Jan 20, 2026

Donald Trump, the US President, believes he wasn’t awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year because of his aggressive approaches to protect his country’s citizens

06:06, 20 Jan 2026

Bullish Donald Trump sent the Norway leader an extraordinary text message whinging about the historic links between Denmark and Greenland.

The message, released today, exposes the chilling measures the US President seems to be willing to take in his pursuit to gain Greenland. The world leader told Jonas Gahr Støre, Norway’s Prime Minister, he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace” in his mission.

Mr Trump, 79, was snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize last year, a decision he believes was due to his aggressive stance on Greenland. Yet his drive to take the autonomous territory continues at speed, responding with “no comment” when asked by reporters today whether he would send troops to the Danish territory to seize the island.

Mr Trump’s message to Mr Gahr Støre, released by the Norwegian government, read in part: “Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace… The world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland.”

Mr Trump on Saturday announced a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight nations that have rallied around Denmark and Greenland, including Norway. These nations, though, issued a forceful rebuke.

Longtime US allies insisted Greenland was not for sale while urging Washington to pursue dialogue. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a social media post that the bloc had “no interest in picking a fight” but would “hold our ground.”

The White House has not ruled out the possibility of taking control of the strategically important Arctic island by force. Asked whether President Trump could invade Greenland, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Monday that “you can’t rule anything out until the president himself has ruled it out.”

Article continues below

Keir Starmer also moved to ease tensions, saying Monday that the dispute “can and should be resolved through calm discussion,” and adding that he did not believe military action would take place.

Underscoring the sharp rise in tensions in recent days, thousands of Greenlanders marched over the weekend to protest any attempt to seize control of the island. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post on Monday that tariff threats would not alter the country’s position. He wrote: “We will not be pressured.”

Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business, minerals, energy, justice and equality, said she was encouraged by the swift response from allies to the tariff threat, saying it demonstrated that countries understand “this is about more than Greenland.” He added: “I think many countries fear that if Greenland is allowed to go, what would come next?”