The reasons for Denmark’s concern go beyond even Trump’s repeated demands to hand the island over, made all the more real just before Christmas by the appointment of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as his special envoy for making it happen. The problem for Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is the same as for Europe writ large: They have few cards to play in the world of "might makes right" that Trump is ushering in. She pointed out that the US has no right under international law to seize Danish territory, that the two nations are close allies, that Trump doesn’t need to own the island to ensure American security, and that he’d be acting against the democratic will of the autonomous Danish territory’s roughly 57,000 people if he tried.
Published at: 2026-01-06 21:59:00
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