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An AI-generated image posted by Donald Trump showing him planting the American flag in Greenland, complete with a sign declaring the island “U.S. territory from 2026,” has once again thrown the Arctic island into the global spotlight and rattled nerves across Europe.
The image, shared on Trump’s Truth Social platform, shows the former U.S. president standing confidently on Greenlandic soil, flanked by Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Behind them, the message is hard to miss and even harder to ignore. According to Trump’s post, Greenland isn’t just strategically important. It’s already on a path to becoming American.
If that wasn’t provocative enough, Trump followed up with a second AI-generated image: a map of Canada, Greenland and Venezuela, all draped in the red, white and blue of the U.S. flag. The images quickly made the rounds in European capitals, fueling unease among leaders already on edge over Trump’s revived Greenland rhetoric.
Trump, for his part, showed no signs of dialing it down. In accompanying posts, he insisted the United States “cannot back down,” repeating his long-standing claim that Denmark is unable to adequately protect Greenland, though he was quick to add that the Danes are “wonderful people.” He also suggested that European leaders would not put up much resistance if Washington moved to acquire the strategically vital territory.
“I Don’t Understand What You’re Doing”
Things took a more personal turn when Trump shared what he said was a private text message from French President Emmanuel Macron, posted as a screenshot on Truth Social. In the message, Macron voices confusion over Trump’s Greenland push, writing that while the two leaders are “totally aligned on Syria” and could make progress on Iran, he bluntly adds, “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland.”
Macron also floated the idea of hosting a G7 meeting in Paris later this week, a proposal French officials have since confirmed is genuine, underscoring that Macron’s frustration is not just for show.
The exchange highlighted the growing gap between Trump’s messaging and the position of several NATO allies. While Trump continues to argue that Denmark cannot protect Greenland from external threats, a line he has used since first floating the idea of acquiring the island back in 2019, European leaders have pushed back, stressing that Denmark and Greenland alone have the right to decide the territory’s future.
A Familiar, and Unsettling, Story
Trump’s fixation on Greenland is nothing new, but the imagery and tone of his latest posts have raised fresh diplomatic eyebrows. Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, holds major strategic value due to its Arctic location and untapped natural resources. Trump has consistently framed U.S. interest in the island as a matter of national and global security, often citing threats from Russia and China.
Critics, however, warn that portraying Greenland as already American territory, even through AI-generated images, risks inflaming tensions and complicating relations within NATO. Several European officials have reiterated that Greenland’s status is not up for negotiation, a position echoed in recent statements from EU leaders.
Behind the scenes, Trump says he has had a “very good” phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and plans to continue discussions during the World Economic Forum in Davos, though details about who will be involved remain vague.
*With information from ERT, Reuters, Parapolitika, Mint
