America thunders: Do you want to check if we are bluffing? PHOTO/VIDEO

Neither Denmark nor its European allies have the military power to prevent the U.S. from taking over the island, and in a situation where the leading NATO member lays claim to the sovereign territory of another, the alliance is paralyzed.

According to a scenario published by The Atlantic, the U.S. president would declare that Danish territory has suddenly become an American “protectorate.”

This sequence of events might have seemed somewhat unrealistic as recently as last Friday, but since the weekend—after the overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Trump’s subsequent insistence that the United States now “leads” Venezuela—it appears far less unlikely.

Escalation of fears

For months, the Danes have been anxiously considering the bold announcements from the Trump administration about annexing Greenland, whether by force, coercion, or by trying to win over the local population of around 56,000 people with promises of involvement in future mining ventures.

Now those fears are escalating.

Shortly after U.S. forces captured Maduro, Katie Miller, a former White House official and the wife of senior Trump advisor Stephen Miller, posted on the social media platform X a map of Greenland overlaid with the American flag, with the caption “soon.”

Danish officials, according to The Atlantic, as reported by Idex, were angry but also deeply unsettled.

The next morning, Trump confirmed his intentions again in an interview with The Atlantic. “We need Greenland, absolutely,” he said.

Danish Prime Minister: He must be taken seriously

For years, European officials downplayed Trump’s expansionist statements and tried to ignore them.

But after the events in Venezuela, that changed.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that Trump’s threats can no longer be taken lightly.

“Unfortunately, I think the U.S. president should be taken seriously when he says he wants Greenland,” she told Danish public television DR.

However, if U.S. forces were to actually enter Greenlandic territory, NATO would, according to European officials, practically collapse at that moment.

Although an incursion into Greenland would automatically trigger NATO’s Article 5, this would mean that all members would have to defend Danish territory against the aggressor—the strongest NATO member, the U.S.

That is why one European official was more direct: “We won’t be able to defend Greenland. I mean, are you kidding?”

Operation Venezuela

The operation in Venezuela, The Atlantic concludes, showed that Trump is willing to back up all his demands with military force. People close to the president also claim that he is thrilled with the success of interventions in Iran, Nigeria, and Venezuela, and that he will not hesitate to resort to force again—or at least the threat of force.

“Let them struggle,” one Trump ally told The Atlantic. “Maybe we’ll take it, maybe not. But after what happened in Caracas, do you really want to check if we are bluffing?”

Danish politicians point out that the whole idea is absurd, because the U.S. could achieve all its security goals through cooperation with Denmark, an ally that allowed American military presence on the island even during the Cold War.

“Very few American soldiers would survive here for seven days”

“If the Americans want a new base, they just need to say where,” one Danish MP said, adding, “If they want a radar, they can install it.”

Finally, Danish officials also recall Trump’s mocking remark that Denmark “enhanced security by adding another dog sled team to its military.”

However, that elite unit, known as the Sirius Patrol, has patrolled the merciless Arctic conditions for decades and, according to the Danes, performs a job that few armies in the world could endure.

“Very few American soldiers would survive there for seven days,” one Danish MP said.