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Trump, Denmark and the Day America Landed on a NATO Threat List

Denmark has taken the unprecedented step of labeling the United States under Donald Trump a potential security risk, raising urgent questions about NATO’s future, America First politics, and how Greenland and the Arctic are reshaping Europe’s security landscape.

Fubar OPS

11 Dec 2025 • 4 min read

Denmark’s defense intelligence service has, for the first time, listed the United States under Donald Trump as a potential security risk, mainly because Washington is seen as willing to pressure even allies economically and militarily to pursue its own interests. This shift is tightly linked to “America First” policies, tariff threats, and Trump’s fixation on Greenland and the Arctic, which Copenhagen fears could destabilize the wider security architecture in Europe.reuters+3

What Denmark’s Report Actually Says

Denmark’s Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS) annual threat assessment now explicitly notes that the U.S. uses its economic power, including threats of high tariffs, as a tool to coerce partners and no longer clearly rules out the use of force even against allies. While Russia and China remain the main adversaries, the U.S. has been moved into a new category: a close ally whose behavior can itself generate strategic risk for Denmark.cnn+3

The report also flags uncertainty about the U.S. role as Europe’s ultimate security guarantor, suggesting that shifting American priorities could embolden Russia to test NATO’s cohesion. For a small state like Denmark, that ambiguity is not theoretical but central to planning everything from defense spending to Arctic deployments.newsweek+3

Trump, Greenland and the Arctic Chessboard

Trump’s repeated suggestions that the U.S. should “take” or otherwise gain control over Greenland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, are a core reason the issue escalated from rhetorical irritation to concrete security concern. Danish media and analysts report that Copenhagen even set up special monitoring of Trump’s statements about Greenland, fearing sudden moves involving economic or military pressure.ukrinform+2

The Arctic itself is becoming a strategic contest among the U.S., Russia and China, with Greenland as a key piece in that game. Danish intelligence warns that heightened U.S. interest in bases, resources and sea lanes around Greenland adds another layer of tension on top of already serious Russian and Chinese activities in the region.reuters+2

Why “America as a Risk” Matters

Calling Trump’s America a possible security risk is not the same as treating it like an enemy; it is an acknowledgment that U.S. policy choices can actively create instability for Denmark and Europe. Tariff threats, transactional deals over security guarantees, and public questioning of NATO obligations all force European allies to contemplate scenarios where Washington is unreliable or even coercive.nytimes+3

For EU and NATO politics, that label is symbolically huge: a founding member of NATO is now judged, in part, by an ally’s spies as a source of risk inside the alliance’s own security ecosystem. It strengthens the hand of those in Europe arguing for greater strategic autonomy, more independent defense capabilities, and a tougher, more conditional approach toward Washington under Trump.euromaidanpress+3

Key Dimensions at a Glance

Dimension	How Denmark sees Trump’s U.S.	Why it is a risk for Denmark
Economic power	Uses tariffs and trade pressure against allies.nytimes+1	Can damage Danish and EU economies and be used to force policy changes.reuters+1
Military posture	Does not clearly exclude using force even toward partners.cnn+1	Raises fears of crises where Denmark is pressured or sidelined in its own region.reuters+1
NATO commitment	Signals of conditional or transactional support.newsweek+1	Creates doubt about U.S. defense guarantees that underpin Danish security.newsweek+1
Arctic/Greenland	Strong push for control and presence around Greenland.newsweek+1	Risks confrontations over sovereignty and militarization near Danish territory.reuters+1
Great‑power rivalry	Intensifies competition with Russia and China in the Arctic.reuters+1	Forces Denmark to navigate dangerous power plays in its immediate neighborhood.reuters+1

How This Rewrites the Transatlantic Story

For decades, Danish foreign and security policy has rested on a simple assumption: the U.S. might be demanding, but it is the ultimate protector, not a variable to fear. Trump’s return to the White House and his sharpened “America First” approach have pushed Danish intelligence to conclude that U.S. pressure can itself destabilize Denmark’s security environment.ndtv+3

This new framing does not end the alliance, but it changes its emotional core from trust to guarded calculation. For readers and citizens, the message behind Denmark’s report is stark: in a world of resurgent great‑power politics, even old friends can become sources of risk when power is wielded without restraint.nordiskpost+1