President Donald Trump has sent a message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, reiterating his resolve to take control of the embattled Greenland territory, arguing that such a move is necessary to secure global peace and protect U.S. strategic interests.
The message which was first reported by PBS and confirmed by Norway’s government office was delivered through diplomatic channels and forwarded to Oslo, marking a departure from Trump’s usual use of social media to communicate foreign policy positions.
In the opening of the letter, President Trump expressed frustration over what he described as a snub by the Nobel Peace Prize, stating that the decision had diminished his obligation to pursue peace as a guiding principle and had instead shifted his focus toward prioritising America’s national interests.
Trump reinforced his grievance by arguing that he was best placed to win the coveted humanitarian award, claiming credit for stopping “eight plus wars” during his tenure. He has frequently cited these claims as evidence of his role as a global peacemaker.
“Dear Jonas: 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.” he wrote
Last week, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado symbolically presented her Nobel medal to Trump during a meeting at the Oval Office, citing what she described as his “unique commitment to freedom.” The gesture, however, sparked sharp criticism from Norwegian political figures.
Leader of Norway’s Socialist Left Party, Kirsti Bergstø, described the move as “above all, absurd,” stressing that the Nobel Peace Prize cannot be gifted or transferred. The Nobel Peace Center later reiterated that while the physical medal may change hands, the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate remains exclusively with the individual to whom it was awarded.
Similarly, the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute clarified that the prize cannot be revoked, shared, or reassigned once awarded.
Trump used the Nobel controversy to further underscore his position on Greenland, arguing that Denmark lacks the capacity to protect the Arctic territory from external threats, particularly from Russia and China. He maintained that U.S. control of Greenland would be essential for maintaining global stability.
He also questioned Greenlanders’ historical claims to the Arctic, arguing that there are no codified legal documents conclusively granting ownership beyond centuries-old exploratory voyages, claims he dismissed as insufficient. Trump suggested that the United States could make similar historical assertions, noting that American vessels had also reached the territory.
“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.” he wrote
The concluding portion of the message reportedly raised concerns about the future direction of U.S. foreign policy, including implications for Washington’s continued commitment to NATO, further straining diplomatic relations with European allies.
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