On 20th January (Tuesday), United States President Donald Trump posted an old photo of himself with other European leaders with his country’s flag on Truth Social. However, the peculiar aspect of the image was that it included an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated map which depicted Greenland, Canada and Venezuela as territories of the United States.
Trump is shown with prominent world leaders in the Oval Office, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, alongside Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte, among others, as the modified image was clearly pronounced in the background.
Trump even shared a separate AI image showcasing himself, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance planting the American flag on a plot of land marked “Greenland, US territory, Est. 2026.”
Trump also conveyed that he had a “very good telephone call” with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, in relation to Greenland. “I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland. As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back,” he wrote and added, “On that, everyone agrees.”
The president warned that the US “is the most powerful country anywhere on the globe, by far.” He credited his initial term for the same and alleged, “Much of the reason for this is a rebuilding of our military during my first term, which rebuilding continues at an even more expedited pace.” He then declared, “We are the only power that can ensure peace throughout the world, and it is done, quite simply, through strength.”
The recent developments aligned with Trump’s escalated efforts to seize control of Greenland, characterising it as vital to US strategic interests and national security, as well as to avert a Chinese or Russian takeover. The Kingdom of Denmark is in charge of the autonomous Arctic island of Greenland. Both the Danish and Greenlandic administrations have vehemently denied Trump’s claims, regularly pointing out that the island is not for sale.
As the rumours of potential US military intervention sparked, Denmark’s Defence Ministry reaffirmed a Cold War-era instruction that states that Danish soldiers must begin fire without waiting for orders if any foreign force attempts to occupy its territory, including Greenland.
The US would also send planes to Greenland’s Pituffik Space Base as part of long-planned operations, according to the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), which emphasised that the action was coordinated with Denmark and Greenland’s authorities were also notified beforehand.
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) aircraft will soon arrive at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland. Along with aircraft operating from bases in the continental United States and Canada, they will support various long-planned NORAD activities, building on the enduring…
— North American Aerospace Defense Command (@NORADCommand) January 19, 2026
Meanwhile, 8 European nations, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland have been slapped with 10% tariffs for going against US control of Greenland. The rate would increase to 25% starting in June 2026.
Furthermore, Trump has repeatedly referred to Canada as the 51st state of the United States. On the other hand, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has already been captured and brought to the US after falsely accusing him of leading a fictitious drug cartel.
