Our President’s letter to the Prime Minister of Norway:
“Dear Jonas:
“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, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT”
Observations, as I consider heading for the nearest bridge…
1. Basic writing structure practice dictates that in a formal letter, legal brief, or any other argument, the first item should be the most important one and the most persuasive. The strongest reason for Norway supporting the U.S. desire to get gain control of Greenland is because of something that nation didn’t do, and that would have had no substantive effect even if it had?
2. Norway doesn’t award the Nobel Peace Prize anyway.
3. ‘I did not get the Nobel Peace Prize from an organization based in your country, ergo it follows that I will no longer think purely of peace.” What? A. Obviously the President doesn’t think “purely of Peace”; he has lots of other things to think about, and I don’t even want to speculate on what some of them are…” B. Thus he is threatening not to do what he hasn’t been doing anyway, to someone he has no stated intention of thinking non-peacefully about, unless he wants to invade Norway. C. Is he pretending to be obsessed with getting a Nobel Peace Prize just to troll the people who say he is, or is her really obsessed with getting the Nobel Peace Prize? Which would be more ridiculous?
4. Greenland became a Danish colonial possession in 1721, so “we,” as in the USA, could not possibly have claimed it with our “boats” since “we” didn’t exist as a sovereign nation when the island became a property of Denmark.
5. Legally, when the United States bought the Danish West-Indies in 1917, now the U.S. Virgin Islands, “we” recognized Danish sovereignty over Greenland as part of this transaction. This was reaffirmed by the Permanent Court of International Justice in the 1933 verdict in the case concerning the Legal Status of Eastern Greenland. The President of the United States really should check out our treaties and documents before making illogical arguments off the top of his head.
6. What “paper” does the United States have proving its “ownership” of, say, Pennsylvania?
7. On what basis does Trump claim to have done more for NATO “than any other person since its founding”? Is this just his usual hyperbole, as everything is the “best,” the “greatest” and the “most” something? This claim is genuinely mysterious. What’s he talking about? Does he even know?
8. Okay, NATO should “do something” for the United States. Send him a nice fruit and cheese basket. That’s something.
9. What must another head of state think when he receives a letter like this that reads like it was composed by a ten-tear-old, never proof-read, and reflects the diplomatic subtlety of a punch in the mouth? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better example of an official letter that warranted the old gag, “Dear X: Some idiot is sending out letters like this and signing your name.
10. “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland” might be the truest statement in the letter, but why would anyone feel secure knowing that someone capable of writing a letter like this is control of anything, including sharp objects?
John Hinderacker, who writes the serious, and seriously concervative, generally pro-Trump blog Powerline, writes there in part (with disgust),
Greenland is a frozen wasteland, and mining there–like everything else–would be extremely challenging. The day could come when it makes sense to undertake the project of trying to mine in Greenland, but it would be far easier and cheaper to overcome Democratic resistance and mine here in the U.S. And again, both Denmark and Greenland would be delighted if American companies wanted to invest billions in mining in Greenland. The last thing we need to do to facilitate mining is invade the country.
Thus there is no need to acquire Greenland, but if we wanted to do so, we could. Greenland is virtually uninhabited. It would be easy for us to buy the loyalty of the 50,000 or so Greenlanders, and persuade them to become a U.S. territory. But Trump’s threats of invasion have made the issue one of sovereignty and patriotism. That was frankly stupid, since there was never any possibility that the U.S. would invade Greenland. Suggesting such a thing was a foolish unforced error.
Now Trump has compounded his mistake by imposing tariffs not just on Denmark, but on other European countries, “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.” As a result, Western Europe is rallying behind Denmark in opposing a U.S. takeover…The tariffs are another unforced error. Without having made any serious effort to expand our military presence in Greenland, let alone to buy it, Trump, through his pointless threats, has confirmed the caricature of him that prevails in most of Europe. He has thus turned what could have been a relatively painless (if unnecessary) transaction into an international fiasco…
I believe the tariffs Trump has just imposed on European countries are adopted pursuant to the “emergency” power that is now under review by the Supreme Court. While technically immaterial, the fact that Trump has used that alleged power in a patently irresponsible way could sway some justices in the direction of holding that he doesn’t have it.
The bottom line is that Trump has turned a significant but manageable geopolitical issue into a morass. He needs to extricate himself, and the simplest way to do so is to 1) stop talking publicly, and 2) lay out to Denmark and Greenland the military steps that he wants to take, to which they will certainly acquiesce.
Bingo.
________________
The Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs has an excellent article on the U.S. claims to Greenland, titled Trump, Territory, and Greenland: Mixed Claims for Ownership, Rights, and Control. I recommend it highly. Someone needs to read it to President Trump. Soon.
Ethics Alarms 
I’m at the phase where I honestly don’t know what’s going on… Is Trump attempting to revitalize the American Empire by grabbing some land? Is Trump negotiating past the deal on some kind of security arrangement? Is Trump genuinely concerned about Russia and China now? Is Trump huffing a prodigious amount of glue? And even if it’s the latter, even if he is he is floating at 50,000 feet on the best Elmer’s money can buy, what’s frightening as an outsider looking in is that these blusters aren’t serious until they are… As Nicholas Maduro recently found out.
I honestly don’t know how the rest of the world is supposed to react to this. I don’t think it’s good enough to say that the shit Trump says can be discarded completely out of hand anymore.
I keep hoping that some news will break that confirms that someone hacked the White House and sent this letter in an effort to smear Trump. The letter is absolutely ridiculous, and if Trump indeed wrote it, I’m inclined to believe that he really is degrading cognitively. One symptom of dementia is the loss of any filter and impulse control, and while Trump never had much of either to begin with, this letter stands a glaring alert that something is not right.
Supposedly Scott Bessent has declared no knowledge about this letter, but that Trump would tie Greenland to the Nobel Peace Prize was a complete canard. On the other hand, the PM of Norway reported he did receive the letter.
As far as slapping tariffs on Europe for refusing to go along with the acquisition of Greenland, that also smacks me of an idiotic move on Trumps’ part, and lends me to believe that he’s self-destructing. So maybe he is becoming unhinged enough to send such a letter.
You can relax, Ryan The “Trump is declining” narrative is pure partisan/Trump-hate crap, so I’ve been told.
Well, it’s one of those insults that will eventually be true, if you give it long enough.
I think that’s right.
But, then, I argue with myself.
HJ1: Trump has always been like that.
HJ2: Like what? What characteristics? Do you mean his socially inappropriate behavior, impulsivity, loss of empathy, poor judgment, egotism?
HJ1: His physicians repeatedly say he’s fine.
HJ2: Yep. Heard that one before.
HJ1: It’s just Trump being Trump.
HJ2: But those are symptoms of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), a group of progressive brain disorders causing nerve cell loss in the frontal and temporal lobes, leading to significant changes in personality, behavior, language, and executive function, often starting in the 40s.
HJ1: Yeah, but, having some of the characteristics of a disease doesn’t mean the person has the disease. He’s fine.
HJ2: He doesn’t seem fine to me.
HJ1: You can’t diagnose someone from far away. And, you’re just spouting left-wing TDS crap.
HJ2: Okay. I’ll shut up now.
I think his plans on Greenland are generally stupid.
but, he is right about the security issue. It is strategically important and should be protected.
But, all Trump had to do was start talking and Europe sends troops there. Trump should have just declared victory and said he got what he wanted without spending a penny.
-Jut
If Trump wants to control or own Greenland he simply needs to make an offer that is acceptable to Denmark. That is how things are done in real estate. Bullying Denmark on the issue only serves to alienate Europe for no good reason, as Trump and the USA have no right to Greenland at all.
I do not understand Trump’s priorities. It appears to me that Trump acts like a child with ADD, wildly off focus. In foreign affairs Iran and Venezuela should command all his attention. Domestically, Trump is letting the Minneapolis situation getting out of hand due to inaction, giving the anti-ICE resistance the edge.
There is no possible offer that would be acceptable to Denmark. It would be like another country trying trying to make a acceptable offer to buy any state in the US. Other than an offer on New Jersey, the deal would be DoA.
There have been some strategic realignments, such as Greenland being a bit more integrated into NORAD. Trump should have called those a win and shut up.
All the reports of this letter cite one reporter from NPR. One can question the validity of the source. Did this letter come from the Danish King or PM Would such a letter ever be passed by an Ambassador to a head of state without as much as any effort by protocol officials to avoid creating such an insulting letter. There are lot of questions I have about this.
I think we should wait to assess the veracity of the sources before we assess the validity of this report.
I noticed there was no coverage of the five men accosted while eating lunch or that Target is being protested because ICE used the bathrooms , or the guy who had to strip or else risk getting hurt. Now we hear that Doubletree by Hilton is banning ICE agents. We also see armed men “protecting their neighbors” . None of this made the news even though it could be the predicate for even more violence.
This is the explanation I got:
“Several reports from major news organizations confirm that a message from President Trump to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is authentic. While often referred to online as a “letter,” the communication was a text message sent on Sunday, January 18, 2026.”
“Someone needs to read it to President Trump. Soon.“
Your apparent belief in the possibility of a sensible response from reading an essay from some Council on Ethics to our favorite toddler is quite touching, really!
🙂
This is not a letter, it’s a 2 AM drunken phone call in the guise of a letter.
The Trump “letter” reads like an internet joke, although many sources are reporting it. Maybe he left his phone unlocked and someone decided to send a prank text? Unfortunately, it sounds too much like him.
It sounds like the way he talks, and has always talked, as well as his tweeting style. Bu you don’t communicate like that in official exchanges with heads of state…at least you shouldn’t.
Something is definitely cracking in Trump’s head regarding Greenland. He has enough winning agenda items he could be developing.
As for #7- he is the first president to actually get Europeans to start increasing their own defense spending. That’s remarkable for those freeloaders.
“4. Greenland became a Danish colonial possession in 1721, so “we,” as in the USA, could not possibly have claimed it with our “boats” since “we” didn’t exist as a sovereign nation when the island became a property of Denmark.”
Ah but you make the error of thinking linearly. Think in terms of circles and spirals of time and events outside of causal relations all on the sudden become related.
Is he crazy, or crazy like a fox?
Speaking of which, from from whom, the following;
“Denmark on Monday ramped up its military presence in Greenland, deploying extra troops to the strategic Arctic territory amid escalating tensions with President Donald Trump…
… Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, head of Denmark’s Arctic Command, said about 100 Danish soldiers have already arrived in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, with others later deployed to Kangerlussuaq in western Greenland.”
There probably hasn’t been 10 troops on that island in the last 1000 years, nevermind the last 50.
He just got NATO to send troops twice in the last two days.
To Manifest Destiny and beyond.
I have no ultimate idea what to think, however this analysis by Ron Unz seems to me to make good rational sense.
https://www.unz.com/runz/how-china-can-burst-the-bubble-of-donald-trumps-american-empire/
I do not have the impression that Trump’s actions can or will “Make America Great” but are actively harming the prospect.
I wonder what happens next? Will Trump make it through his term? Will Vance replace him (somehow?) and put things on a sensible track? What would that track be?
Sadly it seems like the body politic of America has gone crazy. It is irrational, as if possessed.
Trump’s goals and policies are not irrational at all. Nor is the message of what the US needs to be “great again” particularly unclear to anyone not in denial. A return to merit based success and employment. The end of hysterical, expensive, useless anti-climate change policies. The rejection of European nanny state drift. A reduction in government bureaucracy. Death to The Deep State that is obvious yet that the Left denies. Enforced immigration laws and policies that encourage immigrants interested in becoming American and like Americans in culture an value. An end to the US paying to prop up the world while international organizations take stands antithetical to our interests. The unapologetic projection of American power. Unflinching commitment to the Rule of Law. Etc.
The problems, as always, with Trump are his style, obnoxious personality, and methods.
The way he is going about things is what I would say is irrational. My impression is of a man getting even with the world.
FYI I agree with all the goals that you have listed. The one I have certain doubts about is “the unapologetic projection of American power”. It seems to me that to achieve all the goals you have listed that a far more subtle use of power is required.
So that if power is used brazenly and without consideration for how the use will be perceived and reacted against, it indeed requires an ‘apology’ but the one who uses power that way will not be able to give it. It will be like a mess that someone else will have to clean up.
This is the impression I am getting about Trump’s absurd declarations about seizing Greenland. I don’t have numbers but I’ll bet 90% of Europe is at the least offended and at worse disgusted. It will do nothing for America’s standing in the world. And others (for example the far more subtle power-player China) will exploit the faux pas.
“Unflinching commitment to the Rule of Law. “
And now, for the award for the boldest contradiction of reality, we have….
From today’s WSJ. Am I being presented with Trump’s activities in a selected ‘bad light’ or is there a way to see this that will make me see that it is all good and ‘the world’ is bad for having apprehensions? Is the America (WSJ) dealing in anti-Americanism?
President Trump is showing up for an annual gathering of the global elite in Davos, swinging a wrecking ball at the international order.
Trump has insisted he will take possession of Greenland from North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally Denmark. Ahead of his trip, he posted an image portraying him lecturing European leaders in front of a map in which Greenland, Canada and Venezuela are emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes.
On Thursday, he plans to unveil what he is calling a Board of Peace that aims to supplant the United Nations—and be led by him, in perpetuity.
The reactions from many U.S. allies and partners, some of them aired in public, many of them still only expressed in private, are stark: Trump’s America seems to have lost its mind.
The unfolding break is profound, and, to many outside the U.S., Washington’s behavior defies any rational explanation.
Someone please send up “the rational explanation” as soon as it gets in!