Inside Trump’s Head-Spinning Greenland U-Turn

“When President Trump arrived in the snow-covered Swiss Alps on Wednesday afternoon, European leaders were panicking that his efforts to acquire Greenland would trigger a trans-Atlantic conflagration. By the time the sun set, Trump had backed down,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The about-face followed days of back-channel conversations between Trump, his advisers and European leaders, including NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to people close to the talks. The Europeans, who stood united in their opposition to Trump acquiring Greenland, employed a mix of enticements, such as offers to boost Arctic security, and warnings, including about the dangers to the U.S. of a deeper rupture in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.”

“After a meeting with Rutte on Wednesday, Trump called off promised tariffs on European nations, contending that he had ‘formed the framework of a future deal’ with respect to the largest island in the world.”