United States President Donald Trump has tied his pursuit of Greenland to his long-unrealized ambition for a Nobel Peace Prize, asserting that the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision not to award him the prize frees him to prioritise what he deems “good and proper” for the United States.
The revelation came in a message to Norway’s Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, first reported by PBS and confirmed by officials in the Norwegian Prime Minister’s office.
“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,” Trump wrote.
Støre said he received the message in response to a text he and Finnish President Alexander Stubb sent, conveying Nordic opposition to Trump’s announced tariff increases on Norway, Finland, and select other countries.
He clarified that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by an independent committee and not the Norwegian government, saying: “I have clearly explained, including to President Trump, what is well known, the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian Government.”
Trump’s message followed his threat to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on goods from several European nations that opposed his plan to acquire Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory and fellow NATO member, effective February 1. His remarks have raised concerns within NATO, as the alliance confronts the possibility of one member acting unilaterally against another.
“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,” Trump wrote.
Trump also cited his contributions to NATO as justification for his Greenland ambitions. “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,” he stated.
While the US has been the backbone of Euro-Atlantic security for decades and has spent more on defense than any other NATO member, several European allies have also participated in US-led military operations. Forty-three Danish soldiers, for instance, died fighting in Afghanistan following the 2001 invasion.
