WASHINGTON/DAVOS — On the first anniversary of his second term, President Donald Trump has pushed the transatlantic alliance to the edge of a historic rupture, openly questioning whether NATO would come to the aid of the United States while threatening an economic “bazooka” against European allies.
In a rare appearance at the White House press briefing on Tuesday, Trump cast doubt on the core principle of mutual defense that has anchored Western security since 1949. While the President insisted the U.S. would always honor its obligations, he suggested that European reciprocity is a looming uncertainty.
“We spend tremendous amounts of money with NATO, and I know we’ll come to their rescue,” Trump told a packed room of reporters. “But I really do question whether or not they’ll come to ours. NATO has to treat us fairly too.”
The Greenland Ultimatum
The President’s comments come as he prepares to fly to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he will face a wall of European hostility. The primary flashpoint is Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory that Trump has made a centerpiece of his second-term foreign policy.
In a move that has stunned Brussels, the President announced a 10% “Secondary Tariff” starting February 1 on eight European nations—including France, Germany, and the UK—that have deployed security forces to Greenland as part of the Danish-led Operation Arctic Endurance. If a deal for the “complete and total purchase” of the island is not reached by June 1, the President warned the levies will balloon to 25%.
“Russia and China have zero fear of NATO without the United States,” Trump wrote earlier on Truth Social. “And I doubt NATO would be there for us if we really needed them.”
Macron’s Davos Defiance
Speaking from the snowy heights of Davos just hours after Trump’s briefing, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a searing rebuke, painting a picture of a global order on the brink of collapse.
Without naming Trump directly, Macron warned that the world is experiencing a shift toward a “world without rules,” where international law is trampled by “the law of the strongest.”
“We are moving toward a lawless world where only brutality seems to count,” Macron said. “We prefer the rule of law to bullies. We prefer science to conspiracies. Europe will not allow itself to be intimidated or blackmailed by new forms of imperialism.”
The Economic and Security Standoff
The rhetoric has already triggered material consequences. The European Parliament is reportedly preparing to freeze the ratification of a major EU-US trade deal, while the European Commission has signaled it may deploy its “Anti-Coercion Instrument”—a trade policy designed to retaliate against economic bullying.
| Actor | Stance | Action Taken / Threatened |
| Donald Trump | Transactional Security | 10–25% tariffs on 8 NATO allies over Greenland opposition. |
| Emmanuel Macron | Strategic Autonomy | Calling for a “European preference” and unified trade retaliation. |
| Mark Rutte (NATO) | Alliance Integrity | Insisting Article 5 remains “unshakeable” despite political friction. |
| Mette Frederiksen | Sovereign Defiance | “Greenland is not for sale”; reinforcing Arctic defenses. |
A Cold War Within the Alliance
The friction isn’t just about trade; it’s about the very definition of an ally. Trump’s “Board of Peace” concept—a proposed alternative to the UN Security Council—and his suggestion that the U.S. military remains “an option” for the acquisition of Greenland have led some European leaders to wonder if the U.S. remains a partner or has become a competitor.
As Trump heads into the Davos “lion’s den,” the question for the rest of 2026 is no longer just about the price of goods, but about whether the “West” still exists as a coherent political entity.
“We are never going to see American troops on the ground in Greenland; this is a negotiating tactic,” said Mikkel Runge Olesen of the Danish Institute for International Studies. “But in the process, the trust that makes NATO work is being burned to the ground.”