U.S. President Donald Trump wrote a letter the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre. Staff at the National Security Council delivered copies of the letter to European ambassadors in Washington DC.
A copy was provided to a Newshour journalist:
Dear Ambassador:
President Trump has asked that the following message, shared with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, be forwarded to your [named head of government/state]
“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”
Trump will continue to demand Greenland until something is done by Europe to decisively stop him.
When Trump tried to kill trade with China by imposing sky-high tariffs the Chinese responded by stopping export of rare earth minerals and rare earth products. The U.S. needs those and has no other sources. Trump stepped back from the tariffs and made peace with President Xi.
Europe need to make a likewise decisive move. It has allowed Trump to impose tariffs on European goods without imposing counter measures. That was a huge mistake as it Trump immediately interpreted it as weakness that could be further exploited.
Europe has a trade surplus from selling goods to the United States. But Europe has a deficit from buying services from the U.S. Such services are software, internet applications, TV shows and movies, consulting and some fields of banking businesses.
Europe should immediately introduce tariffs on all services the U.S. provides to Europe. These should be double the tariffs Trump has put on European goods. If Trump responds with higher tariffs on goods, respond with increasing that rate fro services. Let Microsoft, Google and Hollywood scream about it. All their products can be replaced with European ones without too much hassle.
There are other measures European countries could take. There are several ten-thousands U.S. soldiers and associated civilians in Europe. As the U.S. is threatening Greenland it is justified to limit their current free movement. Just to make sure that they, under Trump’s command, don’t start to do something equally stupid. In the end these people are hostages. Use them as such.
Europe should also immediately assemble a multinational independent regiment under Danish command and deploy it to Greenland. It shall protect the land from the ‘Russian’ and ‘Chinese’ intrusions the U.S. professes to fear.
A news item yesterday said that the Pentagon claims it has put 1,500 active duty Army paratroopers on alert for a potential deployment to Minnesota:
The soldiers are from the 11th Airborne Division, based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, one of the Army’s premier infantry formations and a frontline force in the U.S. military presence in the Pacific, positioned to help deter China. The division is also the military’s leading formation for Arctic warfare.
If you believe that the prime U.S. units trained and designated to fight in Arctic climate were put on alarm to put down non-existing riots in Minnesota contact me about buying this huge bridge I have on offer. These troops are without doubt preparing to take over Greenland.
Europe should counter them by acting faster.
Unfortunately the current crop of European leaders is the worse the continent had for decades. That’s why I doubt that they will be able to plan and execute any significant measure.
In consequence Trump will take Greenland … and then go for more.