In an extraordinary text message to Støre, first reported by PBS and confirmed by an official in the Norwegian prime minister’s office, Trump linked his repeated threats to seize control of Greenland to the fact that he has not been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, which he has long coveted.
“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 in the text.
Støre said he received the message in reply to a text he and Finnish President Alexander Stubb sent Trump, in which the Nordic leaders “conveyed our opposition to his announced tariff increases against Norway, Finland and select other countries”.
He said in a statement that he has “clearly explained, including to president Trump what is well known, the (Nobel Peace) prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian Government”.
Trump’s missive came after he threatened to impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on goods from several European countries over their opposition to his plan to acquire Greenland, an autonomous part of Denmark, a fellow NATO member, from February 1. Trump’s threats have rattled NATO as the alliance based on collective defense confronts the prospect that one member might use force 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 said in his message.
Greenland, a vast Arctic island, was incorporated into Denmark in 1953 as part of global decolonisation movements in the wake of World War II. It is self-governing, but its defence, security and monetary policy are still controlled by Denmark.
“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,” Trump said in his note to Støre.
Although the US has been the bedrock of Euro-Atlantic security for decades, and spent far more on defence in that period than any other NATO member, many NATO allies participated in recent US wars. Forty-three Danes died fighting in Afghanistan following the 2001 invasion.
At a news conference in London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that Denmark is a “close ally” of the United Kingdom and the US, and “a proud NATO member that has stood shoulder to shoulder with us, including at real human cost”.
Trump’s message came after Støre and Stubb texted the US president about the additional tariffs he had threatened over Greenland.
“We believe we all should work to take this down and de-escalate – so much is happening around us where we need to stand together,” the Nordic leaders wrote, according to an official in Støre’s office.
The Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 peace prize to María Corina Machado, the leader of Venezuela’s democratic opposition, who last week gifted her medal to Trump when the pair met in Washington. Trump said it was “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect”.
The Nobel Committee since, however, clarified that while the physical medal may change hands, the honour itself cannot be transferred.
