President Donald Trump tried to project confidence on a sensitive international issue this week — but the longer he talked, the stranger the moment became. While speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday night, Trump was pressed on his administration’s position regarding Greenlan d and Denmark, and his answers quickly sparked backlash. U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from the members of the press aboard Air Force One on January 11, 2026 en route back to the White House from Palm Beach, Florida. The President spent the weekend at his private club Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images) “Have you made a tangible offer to Greenland yet? Have you made an actual offer to Denmark,” a reporter asked. “I haven’t done that,” Trump began before immediately contradicting himself. “Greenland should make the deal because Greenland does not want to see Russia or China take over,” he said. “Basically, their defense is two dog sleds. You know that? You know what their defense is? Two dog sleds.” ‘This Guy Is Nuts!’: Trump Pulls Bizarre Move Mid-Presser, Admits It’s Weird, Does It Anyway — and Viewers Spot the Split-Second Look Rubio Gives Vance That Steals the Scene Closing with, “… if it affects NATO, then it affects NATO. But, you know, they need us more than we need them, I will tell you that right now.” Trump ignited yet another firestorm across social media. “Republicans, why are you letting this happen?” asked a furious viewer. “This guy will bankrupt the United States and leave us completely vulnerable. It’s likely he and his cronies have already used doge and their international connections to take as much money for themselves,” another added. View on Threads Days earlier during a White House roundtable with more than a dozen oil executives, Trump responded to questions about how much money the United States might offer Greenlanders to support a possible takeover. And he made it clear that consent was not central to his thinking. “I’m not talking about money for Greenland yet,” Trump said. “I might talk about that, but right now we are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor.” Trump did not acknowledge that Russia already borders the United States across the Bering Strait. As reporters pressed him further, Trump escalated his rhetoric while attempting to soften it with praise for Denmark. “I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way. And by the way, I’m a fan of Denmark too. I have to tell you, and they’ve been very nice to me. I’m a big fan, but the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn’t mean that they own the land,” he said. The remarks immediately drew a flood of criticism online, not only for the implied threat of force against a NATO ally, but also for Trump’s assertion that the U.S. would not tolerate Russia as a neighbor—despite the two countries already being separated by just a few miles of water. View on Threads Critics wasted little time pointing out the contradiction. “Geography is obviously not this super genius’ strong suit,” said one who shared a map of the region. “We’re 2.4 miles apart from each other.” Others questioned the sincerity of Trump’s national security framing, noting that U.S. access to Greenland has long existed without confrontation. “Really odd as the U.S. shut about 10 bases on Greenland since world war 2… and guess what Greenland have said if the americans want to reopen these bases they can,” another wrote on Threads. “so why the big drama and all the tough guy talk… is it really national security or is it because Greenland has oil and rare earth minerals?” View on Threads Many framed Trump’s statements as a direct threat against NATO. “The rest of the UN needs to do something,” one person insisted. “Europe needs to sanction him. Take his golf courses, freeze his assets, issue an arrest warrant. F—king do something.” Another asked, “Where the hell is the U.S. military who swore an oath to defend the Constitution?” Others raised ethical concerns, suggesting Trump held financial motives tied to rare earth minerals. “Donald Trump Jr.’s investment firm, 1789 Capital, backed Vulcan Elements, a rare-earth magnet startup that received a significant $620 million Pentagon loan in late 2025 as part of a larger $1.4 billion deal to boost U.S. domestic magnet production, sparking ethics concerns due to his involvement and prior investments in government-contracted firms. Guess what’s in Greenland?” Greenland’s political leadership responded decisively. In a joint statement issued after Trump again refused to rule out force, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and four party leaders rejected the premise of a U.S. takeover. “We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders,” they declared. "We don't want to be Americans". That is the message from Greenland's parliament to President Trump.The island's political parties have said the future of the island should be decided by Greenlanders, not the US or Denmark.Trump has threatened to "take" Greenland by force if… pic.twitter.com/POnOwB9pu9— CGTN Europe (@CGTNEurope) January 10, 2026 The leaders emphasized that sovereignty rests solely with the island’s population. “Greenland’s future must be decided by the Greenlandic people,” the statement said while condemning Trump’s strongman posture. “As Greenlandic party leaders, we would like to emphasize once again our wish that the United States’ contempt for our country ends,” adding, “No other country can interfere in this.” The statement was signed by Nielsen, Pele Broberg, Múte B. Egede, Aleqa Hammond, and Aqqalu C. Jerimiassen. In the midst of the escalating threats, Denmark and Greenland’s foreign ministers are set to meet with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on Wednesday. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt requested the meeting in hopes of having an opportunity “where we can look each other in the eye and talk about these things.” Rasmussen confirmed that Vance asked to join the talks and will host the meeting in Washington. ‘F—g Do Something!’: Trump’s Big Talk Collapses, He Can’t Even Get the Geography Right, Brags About a Deal That Isn’t Real — Then Greenland Shuts It All Down in 7 Brutal Words ...read more read less