If you thought this year’s World Economic Forum was just another snoozefest summit for global elites to pat each other on the back and swap climate change platitudes, you clearly haven’t been paying attention to the Donad Trump playbook. This year, 2026, Trump didn’t just attend the forum in Davos, he hijacked it, turning the swanky Swiss Alps into his personal Monopoly board, making Greenland the hottest piece of property since Boardwalk and Park place.
Let me set the scene. It’s January 2026, absolutely cold as hell in the Alps, and Trump ever the showman arrives in Davos via the red carpet, with a plan so audacious, it makes his previous real estate deals look like amateur hour. The mission; to acquire Greenland for strategic purposes. Yes, Greenland, the icy autonomous Danish territory that most Americans couldn’t find on a map. But for the forty-seventh president, Greenland isn’t just a frozen wasteland; it’s a strategic asset for U.S. national security and its NATO allies.
Trump, never one for subtlety, kicked off his fiery Davos speech by reminding everyone of the dangers the world faces through Russian and Chinese expansionism, and the strategically vital location of the largest island in the world, Greenland. His speech was about allied missile defense systems (The Golden Dome), military logistics, and western hemisphere security in perpetuity in a region that has been ignored until now, the Atlantic Arctic Circle.
Meanwhile in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, roughly 4000 people (about a quarter of the city’s population) took to the streets to peacefully protest potential American annexation; clearly not fully understanding the national security aspect. The signs read things like “Greenland is not for sale,” and “Yankee go home.” It’s as if George Soros was caught off guard and didn’t have a sign maker or ANTIFA rioters on standby in Nuuk. Most Greenlander’s still lack the understanding of what statehood or becoming a U.S. Territory would ultimately look like. I’m quite sure, the people of Alaska and Hawaii felt the exact same way at some point.
Back to Davos, Trump the peacemaker assured the world and the people of Greenland that military force was never on the table for its potential acquisition, it’s always been a simple negotiation stating, “we prefer negotiation over coercion.” However, many European leaders did not seem amused. Angela Merkel was seen rolling her eyes so hard, she nearly sprained on optic nerve, and France’s Emmanuel Macron (sunglasses and all) is now considering taking up meditation.
This wasn’t a land grab, this was an announcement to the entire world that America, NATO’s chief custodian, needs something strategically vital for all their defensive benefit. Simply put, the “Golden Dome” initiative requires this space and that’s all there is to it. And guess what? Shortly after Trumps blustery speech, then came the piece-de-resistance (French accent included). President Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the “framework of a future deal” for Greenland’s land use. And just like that, the dealmaker checked another box off the security threat checklist. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will spend the next couple of weeks politely consummating the arranged marriage.
With the “framework” in place, Trump magnanimously withdrew his tariff threats; and Europe, despite their initial bravado, breathed a sigh of relief, while Greenland and Denmark put forward their “red lines.” The entire episode left the world wondering, was this simply the latest episode of The Apprentice, Arctic Circle Edition? Trump may not have bought Greenland (yet), but he bought himself another round of hemispherical restructuring, and another chance to remind everyone, that in the craps game of world politics, he’s still the one holding the dice.
One thing is certain; Davos 2026 will be remembered as the Trump Greenland gambit: not a lesson plan on how to depopulate the earth or profit from bogus climate change initiatives. Of course, Trump didn’t ask politely on stage, that’s not his style; besides, he already did that behind the scenes through back channels and was rebuffed by a feckless European Union. They needed their pants pulled down to their ankles publicly one more time, because that’s what weakness rightfully buys you these days.
Editorial comments expressed in this column are the sole opinion of the writer
