At a Glance
- President Trump told Norway’s prime minister he no longer feels bound to “think purely of peace” after missing the Nobel Peace Prize.
- European leaders vowed they “will not be blackmailed” ahead of an emergency Brussels summit Thursday.
- The EU is weighing its unused “Anti-Coercion Instrument” and retaliatory tariffs if Trump follows through on trade threats.
- Why it matters: The transatlantic clash over Greenland could trigger tit-for-tat economic sanctions and reshape Arctic geopolitics.
President Donald Trump has warned Europe that his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize frees him to pursue aggressive action, including his bid to seize Greenland, prompting EU capitals to ready economic retaliation and declare they will not yield to “blackmail.”
Trump’s Message to Norway
Trump sent the text to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre after Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb voiced opposition to planned U.S. tariff hikes. According to Støre, the president wrote:
“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.”
The Norwegian leader confirmed the accuracy of the message, first reported by PBS, and noted that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by an independent committee, not the Norwegian government.
The White House did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment from News Of Fort Worth.
European Counter-threats
With an emergency EU summit scheduled for Thursday, Berlin and Paris moved quickly to draw a line.
- German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil: “Germany and France agree: We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed.”
- French Finance Minister Roland Lescure: “Blackmail between allies of 250 years, blackmail between friends, is obviously unacceptable.”
European officials are weighing:
- Imposing their own tariffs on U.S. goods
- Triggering the EU’s untested Anti-Coercion Instrument, nicknamed the “bazooka,” which can restrict American firms’ access to European tenders and investment
Klingbeil added, “We Europeans must make it clear: The limit has been reached.”
Greenland as Geopolitical Prize
Trump argues that acquiring Greenland is vital to counter Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic. The island sits astride new shipping lanes opening with climate change and holds coveted mineral deposits. The U.S. already enjoys broad rights to base troops or strike mining agreements there.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the president Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” saying Trump is wielding “the economic might of the U.S. to avoid a hot war” and prevent a future “national emergency.”
Trump late Sunday claimed “Denmark has been unable to do anything about” Russian threats and declared, “Now it is time, and it will be done!!!” on Truth Social.
Historical Low Point
Some analysts view the Greenland dispute as the sharpest downturn in U.S.-European relations since the 1956 Suez Crisis, when Washington forced Britain, France, and Israel to abandon their invasion of Egypt.
Russia, by contrast, greeted Trump’s ambition warmly. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump would “go down in history” if successful, adding, “Without saying whether it’s good or bad – one can hardly disagree with these experts.”
Nobel Frustration
Trump has publicly coveted the Nobel Peace Prize and voiced irritation when Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado received it last month. Machado later presented Trump with the award during a private ceremony, though the Norwegian Nobel Committee stated the prize cannot “even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed.”
Key Takeaways
- Trump linked his Greenland push to Nobel Prize resentment in a direct message to Europe.
- EU powers are preparing concrete economic retaliation, including tariffs and the never-used Anti-Coercion Instrument.
- The standoff marks what analysts call the worst transatlantic clash since Suez.
- Russia welcomed Trump’s ambition, while European leaders pledged unified resistance.
