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Updated January 21, 2026 - One year into his second term, President Donald Trump's unorthodox foreign policy continues to unsettle allies and redefine U.S. global ambitions.
Inauguration Speech Foreshadowed Bold Agenda
Exactly one year ago, Donald Trump concluded his second inauguration address with a defiant pledge: "Nothing will stand in our way." The crowd erupted as the president invoked 19th-century "manifest destiny," framing U.S. expansion as an inevitable, almost sacred mission. At the time, few grasped how literally he intended to act on those words.
Within months, Trump turned his attention to the Panama Canal, declaring, "We're taking it back." Now, his focus has shifted to Greenland, with the president bluntly stating, "We have to have it." The remarks have sent shockwaves through diplomatic circles, where leaders grapple with an administration that appears willing to discard decades of post-WWII norms.
Breaking Precedents: From Alliances to Annexation
No modern U.S. leader has openly threatened to seize territory from a NATO ally. Yet Trump's rhetoric-backed by congressional allies like Republican Rep. Randy Fine, who introduced the "Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act"-has forced allies to confront an uncomfortable question: Is the U.S. abandoning the rules-based order?
French President Emmanuel Macron framed the dilemma starkly at Davos: "We face a world without rules, where international law is trampled, and imperial ambitions resurface." While Macron avoided naming Trump directly, his warning targeted a president who has repeatedly dismissed multilateral institutions as irrelevant.
NATO's future hangs in the balance. Trump's suggestion that the alliance "is not feared by Russia or China" has alarmed members, particularly as he weighs military options to acquire Greenland. The 1951 U.S.-Denmark defense agreement already allows American troops on the island, but Trump's insistence-"I need to own it"-signals a radical departure from traditional diplomacy.
Divided Reactions: Applause, Alarm, and Diplomatic Gymnastics
Trump's supporters argue his "America First" approach corrects decades of perceived weakness. Republican lawmakers, like Fine, dismiss the UN Charter as "failed" and advocate for unilateral action. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a key defender, frames Trump's tactics as pragmatic: "He says and then he does."
"He is a man of transactions and brute power, mafia-style. He doesn't see the benefit of alliances-he doesn't give two hoots about America as an idea."
Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist
Allies, however, are scrambling. Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre received a blunt letter from Trump, who wrote: "I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace... I can now think about what is good for the United States." Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide responded with Nordic restraint: "It's a good day to have a Nordic temperament."
Europe's responses vary. Macron threatens a "trade bazooka" of tariffs, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer balances public support for Greenland's sovereignty with efforts to preserve U.S. relations. Italy's Giorgia Meloni, a Trump ally, vaguely cited "miscommunication."
Policy Whiplash and Global Realignment
Trump's foreign policy has been marked by abrupt reversals. In Riyadh last May, he condemned U.S. "interventionists" for destabilizing nations. Yet days later, he praised Israel's assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists, calling it "excellent." His stance on Ukraine oscillates between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine positions, leaving allies guessing.
Canada, long reliant on U.S. trade, has felt the strain. Prime Minister Mark Carney-elected on promises to counter Trump-initially imposed retaliatory tariffs but retreated as economic pain mounted. At Davos, Carney warned of a "rupture, not a transition," in global stability, noting that U.S. hegemony once provided "public goods" like open sea lanes and financial stability.
China, meanwhile, has become a focal point for Trump's expansionist vision. His social media post this week-depicting the Western Hemisphere under U.S. flags-revived fears of annexation, with Canada as a potential next target.
What's Next? A World on Edge
As Trump prepares to address Davos on Wednesday, the question lingers: Can anyone influence him? His answer to the New York Times was unequivocal: "My own morality. My own mind. It's the only thing that can stop me."
Allies are left with few options-persuasion, flattery, or force. Norway's Eide summed up the mood: "We are in uncharted territory." With Trump's "Donroe Doctrine" (a play on the Monroe Doctrine) now official policy, the world watches as the U.S. redefines its role-by any means necessary.
