Trump’s text message on Sunday, January 18, 2026, to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, stating he no longer feels “an obligation to think purely of peace” after he failed to win Norway’s Nobel Peace Prize, was confirmed by Prime Minister Støre.
Trump questioned Denmark’s claim to Greenland and said he would put American interests first. “The world is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland,” Trump wrote.
Roland Paris, a professor of international affairs at the University of Ottawa, and former foreign policy adviser to prime minister Justin Trudeau, said “Trump’s fixation on territorial expansion looks real,” and suggesting Canada join European countries to show strong solidarity with Denmark.
Paris suggested it would be “seismic for Canada” if the US annexed Greenland — not only for the future of NATO, but because the rationale Trump is using could similarly apply to the Canadian Arctic. It’s a region of strategic resources like critical minerals, with concerns about Russian and Chinese activity, Paris explained.
“There may be a temptation to duck and hope that all of this passes. But Trump’s fixation on territorial expansion looks real,” he said, suggesting Canada should join European countries to show strong solidarity with Denmark.
“Sometimes we need to take risks and do the right thing.”
Sources:
Alex Ballingall, Toronto Star: What Trump wants from Greenland also applies to Canada, experts warn https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/what-trump-wants-from-greenland-also-applies-to-canada-experts-warn/article_84b66d4f-5fee-4f23-9677-e1534542df71.html
Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic: Trump’s Letter to Norway Should Be the Last Straw https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/trump-letter-to-norway/685676/