The ‘Art’ of Trump’s ‘Concept’ Deal in Greenland
President Donald Trump had barely finished his speech Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos when speculation erupted over whether his administration was laying the groundwork for a potential Greenland deal—one that, if realized, would mark a dramatic escalation of U.S. involvement in the Arctic. Speaking with the CNN journalist Kaitlin Collins, who caught up with Trump as he traversed the hallways of Davos, the 47th president of the United States proudly announced he had reached a “framework” deal on Greenland on Wednesday, though he hesitated to provide concrete details.
“It’s a long-term deal,” Trump told Collins. “It’s the ultimate long-term deal. It’s infinite. There is no time limit. It’s a deal that’s forever.”
Though Trump had spent much of the lead-up to Davos beating his chest and sharing wild memes on Truth Social that suggested his administration would gain full ownership of Greenland, the president dodged questions about whether the U.S. would gain full ownership of the island.
“It’s a little bit complex but we’ll explain it down the line,” Trump told CNBC in the moments following the speech in which he told world leaders that the U.S. would settle for nothing less than complete ownership of the island.
A statement issued by the NATO spokesperson Allison Hart confirmed that Rutte had a “very productive meeting” with Trump during which the pair “discussed the critical significance of security in the Arctic region to all Allies, including the United States.”
Hart said that discussions regarding Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, will focus on ensuring Arctic security so that “Russia and China never gain a foothold—economically or militarily—in Greenland.”
As Trump addressed the media following Wednesday’s speech, his social media team released a statement announcing that all of the tariffs Trump had threatened to impose on foreign nations beginning February 1 would be immediately rescinded in light of a “very productive meeting” with Rutte that produced a “future deal with respect to Greenland.” Trump, who several times mixed up the nations of Greenland and Iceland during his nearly hour-long speech in Switzerland on Wednesday, said his desire to build a Golden Dome that will protect the U.S. from ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles was part of discussions regarding the future of Greenland and the Arctic region.
Three senior officials, who spoke with the New York Times on the condition of anonymity, said Wednesday’s “framework” deal would give the U.S. sovereignty over small, targeted parcels of Greenlandic land where the United States could build military bases. The deal, which was described as “indefinite” by Trump, will also grant the U.S. mineral rights and is designed to block Russian and Chinese attempts to gain influence in the region.
But speaking on Thursday, a day after Trump’s first whirlwind day at Davos, Rutte made clear that the pair had sidestepped the topic of sovereignty, instead focusing on increased U.S. military presence in the region. The concept deal would likely mirror that of a 1950s agreement between the United Kingdom and Cyprus that ended British colonial rule while allowing Britain to retain military bases on the island. In response to statements by Trump and Rutte, Denmark’s Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen made clear that NATO had no right to negotiate sovereignty of Greenland.
“We have a clear red line,” Poulsen wrote in a message on social media. “We will not cede sovereignty over parts of the kingdom.”
The Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stressed U.S. sovereignty of Greenland was out of the question and that any conversation about the future of Greenland would focus solely on security, not territorial control. “It is only Denmark and Greenland themselves that can make decisions,” Frederiksen stated in a Thursday press conference. “We can negotiate all political aspects—security, investment, the economy—but we cannot negotiate our sovereignty.”
News of the potential deal was a relief for markets worldwide after traders on both sides of the Atlantic suffered the worst day since October on Tuesday in anticipation of Trump’s threat of new tariffs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average spiked over 1 percent immediately after details of the deal were leaked Wednesday and the tech-heavy Nasdaq followed suit, closing up over 1.2 percent on the day as Nvidia regained nearly all the ground it lost during Tuesday’s chaotic session.
Though the prospect of a deal sans the full acquisition of Greenland could be perceived as deflating for some of Trump’s most ardent fanbase, the buoyant reaction from markets and world leaders signaled relief for many who worried Trump might use military force in a bid to acquire the world’s largest island. Hours before the framework deal was announced, Trump had sought to dispel such concerns when he flatly told world leaders at Davos that he had no intention to “use force” to acquire Greenland.
Trump’s decision to moderate his calls for full ownership of Greenland would likely be welcomed by skeptical Americans who, when polled, have overwhelmingly expressed little interest in acquiring what international relations experts nonetheless view as a pivotal land mass for future trade and potential conflict. Per CNN’s Harry Enten, figures show that Greenland is likely Trump’s worst polling issue.
The Greenland situation illustrates a wide gap between Trump’s maximalist rhetoric and the quieter mechanics of great-power bargaining. Although talk of “ownership” animates supporters and unsettles allies, the substance points toward a familiar outcome: enhanced U.S. military access without a formal transfer of sovereignty. In Greenland, the real deal is not about flags or borders, but about positioning for a future defined by Arctic competition which very well may become a lasting legacy for Trump 2.0.
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