In an unprecedented move, former President Donald Trump recently messaged Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, expressing a surprising link between his intentions regarding Greenland and his ongoing frustration over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. This revelation, initially uncovered by PBS and verified by an official from Norway’s prime ministerial office, highlights Trump’s longstanding desire for the prestigious award.

Trump’s message conveyed a shift in his approach, stating, “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.” This statement underscores his belief that his efforts in preventing conflicts should have been recognized with the Nobel accolade.

The context for this communication was a response to a joint message from Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The Nordic leaders had expressed their disapproval of Trump’s proposed tariff hikes on Norway, Finland, and several other nations. Støre remarked that he had reiterated to Trump a well-known fact: the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by an autonomous Nobel Committee, independent of the Norwegian government.

Trump’s correspondence followed his announcement of a potential 10 percent tariff on goods from select European countries. This decision was seemingly a reaction to opposition regarding his controversial plan to acquire Greenland, an autonomous region under Denmark, which is also a NATO ally. The situation has generated concern within NATO, as the alliance faces the unsettling prospect of internal discord if one member were to act aggressively against another.

Trump’s missive came after he threatened to impose an additional 10 per cent tariff on goods from several European countries over their opposition to his plan to acquire Greenland, an autonomous part of Denmark, a fellow NATO member, from February 1. Trump’s threats have rattled NATO as the alliance based on collective defense confronts the prospect that one member might use force against another.

“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,” Trump said in his message.

Greenland, a vast Arctic island, was incorporated into Denmark in 1953 as part of global decolonisation movements in the wake of World War II. It is self-governing, but its defence, security and monetary policy are still controlled by Denmark.

“I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland,” Trump said in his note to Støre.

Although the US has been the bedrock of Euro-Atlantic security for decades, and spent far more on defence in that period than any other NATO member, many NATO allies participated in recent US wars. Forty-three Danes died fighting in Afghanistan following the 2001 invasion.

At a news conference in London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that Denmark is a “close ally” of the United Kingdom and the US, and “a proud NATO member that has stood shoulder to shoulder with us, including at real human cost”.

Trump’s message came after Støre and Stubb texted the US president about the additional tariffs he had threatened over Greenland.

“We believe we all should work to take this down and de-escalate – so much is happening around us where we need to stand together,” the Nordic leaders wrote, according to an official in Støre’s office.

The Nobel Committee awarded the 2025 peace prize to María Corina Machado, the leader of Venezuela’s democratic opposition, who last week gifted her medal to Trump when the pair met in Washington. Trump said it was “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect”.

The Nobel Committee since, however, clarified that while the physical medal may change hands, the honour itself cannot be transferred.