President Trump’s social media provocations over Greenland reached a fever pitch in January when he reshared AI-generated images on Truth Social depicting Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela as American territory—images that continue to roil diplomatic relations with allies as negotiations drag into their third week.
The provocative posts, shared during an overnight social media spree on January 20, show Trump in the Oval Office displaying a doctored map to European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The image was an altered version of a real photograph from an August 2025 meeting, with a Ukraine conflict map digitally swapped for one showing American flags plastered across North America.
The AI-generated imagery portrays Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela covered in the Stars and Stripes, visualizing Trump’s repeated assertions that American control of these regions serves national security interests. The president has consistently maintained that Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, is integral to America’s security in the Arctic region amid threats from Russia and China.
That same night, Trump shared another AI-generated image showing himself planting an American flag on Greenland alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A sign in the foreground reads “GREENLAND – US TERRITORY EST. 2026.”
Trump’s social media trolling followed weeks of escalating rhetoric and diplomatic pressure. On January 17, the president announced plans to impose 10% tariffs on eight European countries that had deployed troops to Greenland for NATO exercises—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland. He threatened to ratchet those tariffs up to 25% by June if he didn’t acquire the island.
The president has wielded tariffs as a weapon against his other territorial targets as well. He recently threatened to impose a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada if the country pursued a trade deal with Beijing, and warned France he would hit the country with a 200% tariff on wine and champagne.
Despite the aggressive posturing, Trump walked back suggestions of military force at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21. “I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” he declared—while adding that if the U.S. did decide to take Greenland by force, it would be “unstoppable.” He then issued a warning: “You can say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember.”
Negotiations over Greenland’s future have progressed, though not to the satisfaction of all parties. On Saturday, Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt offered a cautious assessment of the talks. “There is going to be a long track, so where we are going to land at the end, it’s too early to say,” she said at a press conference in Nuuk.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen struck a more optimistic tone, characterizing recent discussions as productive. “Very constructive atmosphere and tone and new meetings are planned,” he told reporters in Brussels.
The president’s expansionist rhetoric has strained relationships with key allies. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pushed back forcefully against Trump’s repeated suggestions that Canada become the 51st state during a May 2025 Oval Office meeting. “As you know from real estate, there are some places that are not for sale. And Canada is not for sale, it will never be for sale,” Carney told Trump directly. The president responded: “Time will tell.”
European leaders have responded with a mixture of flattery and firmness. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed the issue at the World Economic Forum, calling Trump’s proposed tariffs tied to Greenland “a mistake especially between long-standing allies” and warning that the EU’s response would be “unflinching, united and proportional.” The bloc is considering some €93 billion in retaliatory tariff measures, including activation of its Anti-Coercion Instrument—a powerful trade tool originally designed to counter Chinese economic coercion.
Trump isn’t the only figure in his orbit engaging in territorial wishcasting. Katie Miller, a conservative podcast host and wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, sparked international outrage on January 3 when she posted a picture of Greenland draped in an American flag on X with the single-word caption “SOON.” The post came hours after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The president has also cultivated relationships with figures who might advance his territorial ambitions. The Financial Times reported that Trump administration officials held several secret meetings with far-right Canadian separatists from the Alberta Prosperity Project seeking to break free from the rest of the country. British Columbia Premier David Eby called the meetings “treason.”
Trump’s push to acquire Greenland has alarmed Canada, which shares a 1,864-mile maritime border with the territory. The president, who describes himself as the “tariff king,” has made clear he views economic pressure as a primary tool for achieving his foreign policy objectives.
The ongoing tensions come as the gap between Trump’s public bravado and diplomatic reality persists. While the president posts fantastical images of American territorial expansion, the actual path to any such outcome remains fraught with legal, diplomatic, and political obstacles. Denmark and Greenland have consistently maintained that sovereignty is non-negotiable, and polls show the vast majority of Greenlanders do not want to join the United States.
