Well, well, well . . . it appears that both sides blinked. It’s just hard to tell who blinked first.

Speaking to a packed house of billionaires and world leaders for over an hour — during which he referred to Greenland as “Iceland,” not once, but four times * — Donald Trump had very little to say about housing affordability (which was supposed to have been his principal focus), but a lot about his expansionist ambitions for the United States (which is what he had intended all along). He regaled his audience with grandiose, sometimes threatening, and often confusing comments such as:

“We probably won’t get anything [referring to Greenland] unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that. Now everyone’s saying, ‘Oh, good.’ That’s probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.” [Alexandra Hutzler, Hannah Demissie and Isabella Murray, ABC News, January 21, 2026.]

Question: Then why have you been threatening an invasion, causing havoc throughout Europe and the entire world? Answer: To scare them into submission, which is what bullies always do.

* Always good for a laugh, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later denied — despite everyone in the room having heard it — that Trump had confused Greenland with Iceland, saying, “No, he didn’t,” but claiming that he had simply referred to Greenland as “a piece of ice.” 

Leavitt truly gives new meaning to the term “dumb blonde.”

And Trump continued:

“I have tremendous respect for both the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark, tremendous respect. But every NATO ally has an obligation to be able to defend their own territory, and the fact is, no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States. We’re a great power.” [Id.]

Following Trump’s speech, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that, while retracting the threat of military force was a “positive” step, it still “does not make the problem go away. What was quite clear after his speech is that the president’s ambition is intact.” [Id.]

And Trump had already confirmed that point when he said:

“We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it. We’ve never asked for anything else . . . So, they have a choice. You can say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember.” [Id.]

*. *. *

Then he sat down with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, whose job of keeping peace with the Trump administration has not been an easy one. And following that meeting, Trump posted on Truth Social that it had been a “very productive meeting,” and that they “have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland.” [BBC, January 21, 2026.]

He added: “This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all Nato [sic] Nations.

“Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st. Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland.

“Further information will be made available as discussions progress. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and various others, as needed, will be responsible for the negotiations — They will report directly to me. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” [Id.]

*. *. *

Along the way, Trump also claimed that he only wants Greenland for reasons of security, and not for its wealth of minerals. Of course, he also said his attack on Venezuela was about drugs, not oil . . .

But we don’t yet know what the “framework of a future deal” included, or what will come of the ongoing discussions. Meanwhile, Greenlanders continue to await word of their fate.

And Donald Trump will crow about his great victory at Davos, and how he has made the world more secure and saved millions more lives by not invading a nation of 55,000 people.

And brought another $18 trillion dollars in investments into the U.S. Treasury.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/21/26