BREAKING: Trump threatens "excessive strength and force" — and blasts NATO as worthless
In rambling and bizarre remarks, the president said that for now he won't use the military to seize Greenland but promised "unstoppable" action if Europe doesn't give him "that piece of ice."
Donald Trump crossed a line today that will be remembered throughout history. In a speech in front of European leaders, he blasted the NATO alliance as effectively worthless, demanded America’s closest friends hand over a piece of their territory to the United States, and threatened that the United States would “remember” if Europe didn’t comply.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump openly attacked long-standing allies as he renewed his demand that the United States acquire Greenland — territory that belongs to Denmark, a fellow member of NATO.
“You can say ‘yes’ and we will be very appreciative,” Trump told the assembled global political and business elite. “Or you can say ‘no’ — and we will remember.”
Trump framed the acquisition of Greenland as a loyalty test and warned of consequences if Europe refuses to comply. At one point, he revealed that he wasn’t currently planning to use the U.S. military to take Greenland, mocking the assembled leaders for the relief he expected to see on their faces.
But in almost the same breath, he kept the threat alive.
“We won’t get anything unless I use excessive strength and force, when we would be unstoppable,” he said. For now, Trump indicated that he was going to demand “immediate negotiations” to acquire Greenland, despite Denmark’s repeated and unequivocal position that the semi-autonomous island is not for sale.
It hardly needs to be said that this is not how alliances work. It’s not how democracies treat one another. And many years from now, Donald Trump’s remarks in Davos could be remembered as the beginning of the end of the NATO alliance.
Trump used a large portion of the meandering speech (which was, at times, incoherent) to question the value of NATO overall and to attack alliance members. He complained that the United States “gives so much and gets so little in return,” and asserted that America receives only “death, disruption, and massive amounts of cash given to people who don’t appreciate what we do.”
The claim was ironic.
NATO’s collective defense pledge (Article 5) has been invoked only once in the alliance’s history — after the September 11 attacks, in defense of the United States. After that, European allies fought and died alongside Americans in Afghanistan because of that commitment. To say America has gained “nothing” from NATO is deranged, historical revisionism masquerading as a presidential workplace complaint.
He didn’t stop there. Trump said the United States “takes great care” of Europeans and invoked his Scottish and German heritage before accusing European societies of “destroying themselves” through their politics, immigration policies, and culture.
“They have to get out of the culture they’ve created over the last ten years,” he said. “It’s horrible what they’re doing to themselves.”
By the end of the speech, Greenland itself almost seemed beside the point. What mattered was that Trump was signaling a sweeping realignment of U.S. foreign policy. The president’s appeared resolved to step away from America’s closest democratic friends and toward anyone willing to cut deals with the United States and curry favor with its president, whether they be NATO ally or historic adversary. Indeed, he lauded Russia’s Vladimir Putin at multiple points in the remarks.
Trump apparently no longer sees himself as the leader of a democratic alliance bound by shared values and mutual defense. He sees himself as a newfound strongman, one who believes that America’s contributions to global security entitle him — personally — to unflinching obedience from other nations. And if they don’t show that obedience, he’ll use economic coercion and military force to compel them.
Once again, Trump told Europe that the United States would “remember” if it didn’t comply with his demands on Greenland. But that threat cuts both ways. European leaders will also surely remember this speech as the moment a sitting American president turned NATO into a shakedown. Years from now, when those statesmen explain why their countries stopped trusting Washington — and started planning for a future without America — this speech may well be the citation.
Last night, I went on CNN to talk about what might happen in Davos. We were sidelined by news of a malfunction on Air Force One, which turned out to be a minor incident that was nonetheless rich with metaphor.
Trump has long complained to anyone who will listen about his aging government airplane and the cumbersome regulations he’s supposed to follow to replace it (rules meant to prevent corruption and threats to national security). So last year, he demanded a new one, skipped the acquisition process, and solicited a “gift” of a new jumbo jet from a foreign king. Despite warnings about the unconstitutional nature of the transaction, Trump decided there was a faster way to get what he wanted — and he took it — even if that meant a middle finger to the rule of law.
To NATO allies, that behavior will sound all too familiar.
Your friend, in defiance,
P.S. WHAT’S HAPPENING ON DEFIANCE.NEWS
Here’s what’s coming up.
TONIGHT // DEFIANCE Daily - Weekly Mission Brief // 5p ET - I know we say this a lot, but you really don’t want to miss this one. We will be announcing a major event for February — and actions to make sure the truth breaks through Donald Trump’s lies ahead of the 2026 midterms. Watch LIVE on our DEFIANCE.News page, on our YouTube channel, or on my X account.
FRIDAY // Weekly Coffee // 2p ET - Join us for another Weekly Coffee, where you can ask questions about anything! Members-only chat. Join us LIVE on our DEFIANCE.News page, or watch the replay.
Watch what he does more than listen to what he says.
He is a complete disgrace and our country/people deserve better! My heart aches!