Daily on Defense, presented by Americans for Fusion: Denmark raises doubts about deal, Trump says US doesn’t need NATO

BY JAMIE MCINTYRE

WHAT FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT? As President Donald Trump continued to talk up his "framework agreement" on Greenland as a total win for the United States, Europeans, NATO — and the Danes in particular — were wondering what he's talking about. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who Trump said negotiated the deal, said the subject of U.S. sovereignty over "pockets" of Greenland's territory never came up. NATO's top general, Alexus Grynkewich, said reports that NATO discussed the proposal ahead of the Trump meeting were not true. "We had no discussion about that security framework. We found out about it when everyone else did, when it hit the news."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made clear in public comments and official statements that negotiations over sovereignty are a red line they will not cross, and that only Denmark, not NATO, can make deals with the U.S. "Nobody else in Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark has the mandate to make deals or agreements about Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark without us. That's not going to happen." Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told CNN yesterday. "In terms of the deal that's been talking about, I don't know what's concrete in that deal," he added.

But on Air Force One, returning to the U.S., Trump expounded on how great the deal was going to be for America. "The time limit is infinity, meaning there is no time limit. It's forever. It's, you know, about 99 years, 50 years, it's forever," Trump said. "We can do anything we want. We can do military, we can do anything we want."

Nielsen, on the other hand, said negotiations were just beginning and that nothing had been settled. "We have now a high-level working group working on a solution for both parties," he said. "We have some red lines. We cannot cross the red lines."

"We are ready to cooperate more in economics and in other areas," Nielsen added, but "we have to respect our territorial integrity. We have to respect international law, sovereignty."

"It's being negotiated, and let's see what happens. I think it will be good," Trump said. "I think everyone likes it. I mean, I think I'll let you know in about two weeks."

With Trump, details, it seems, are always two weeks away.

DID GEN. DAN CAINE TELL TRUMP THE MILITARY WON'T ATTACK GREENLAND?

WHO NEEDS NATO?: Meanwhile, Trump's latest dismissal of NATO continues to rattle the alliance and raise questions about whether the U.S. will continue to be a full partner.

"We've never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them," Trump told Maria Bartiromo, in an interview on Fox Business yesterday. "I've always said, will they be there if we ever needed them? And that's really the ultimate test. And I'm not sure of that."

In his talks with Trump Wednesday, Rutte tried to disabuse him of that concern. "There is one thing I heard you say yesterday and today: you were not absolutely sure that the Europeans will come to the rescue if the US, if you will be attacked. Let me tell you, they will," Rutte said. "They did in Afghanistan. As you know, for every American who paid, every two Americans who paid the ultimate price, there was one soldier from another NATO country who did not come back to his family."

Trump appears unconvinced. "NATO has very much been a one-way street," he told Bartiromo, "They'll say, they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that, and they did. They stayed a little back, little off the front lines."

Trump also seemed to float an idea from his first term when he ordered thousands of U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Germany, but left office before the orders could be carried out. "We have hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Germany. We have 50,000 soldiers in other countries. We have a lot of soldiers, not only Europe, and other places. And we want that to be reciprocal. We want to be liked and respected."

In his remarks at Davos yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said out loud what many in NATO fear — it's America that can no longer be relied upon to live up to the NATO charter.

"Believe me, this question is — it's everywhere, in the minds of every European leader," Zelensky said. "If Putin decides to take Lithuania or strike Poland, who will respond? Who will respond? Right now, NATO exists thanks to belief that the United States will act, that it will not stand aside, and will help. But what if it doesn't?"

"Maybe we should have put NATO to the test," Trump posted on Truth Social last night. "Invoked Article 5, and forced NATO to come here and protect our Southern Border from further Invasions of Illegal Immigrants, thus freeing up large numbers of Border Patrol Agents for other tasks."

TRUMP SAYS 'ARMADA' HEADED FOR IRAN, VOWS GREENLAND DETAILS IN TWO WEEKS

Good Friday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre's Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. If signing up doesn't work, shoot us an email and we'll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre.

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HAPPENING TODAY: Reporters will get another crack at the omnipresent president when Trump signs bills in the Oval Office at 3 p.m.

TRUMP FEUDING WITH CARNEY AGAIN: President Trump was notably irked by a widely acclaimed speech delivered by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at Davos the day before he arrived. In contrast to Trump's remarks, Carney's speech — which condemned coercion by great powers on smaller countries — received an enthusiastic standing ovation.

"Canada gets a lot of freebies from us," Trump groused in his extemporaneous remarks. "I watched your Prime Minister yesterday. He wasn't so grateful. They should be grateful to us, Canada. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements."

Last night, Trump rebuked Carney by disinviting him to be part of his "prestigious" Board of Peace. "Dear Prime Minister Carney," Trump wrote. "Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada's joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time."

Upon his return to Canada, Carney responded to Trump's "Canada lives because of the United States" jab, saying, "Canada doesn't live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian."

In a speech before a Cabinet retreat in Quebec City, Carney said staying true to Canada's values is key to maintaining its sovereignty, according to the Associated Press. "We can show that another way is possible, that the arc of history isn't destined to be warped toward authoritarianism and exclusion; it can still bend toward progress and justice."

TRUMP REVOKES CANADA'S INVITATION TO BOARD OF PEACE IN TRUTH SOCIAL 'LETTER' TO CARNEY

TRUMP vs NEWSOM: Trump also took aim at California Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028.

"Gavin Newscum, as a 'Lame Duck' Governor of a Failing State, should not be at Davos running around screaming for the attention of Foreign Leaders, and embarrassing our Country. He made a mockery of himself, and everybody, including his staff, knows it!" Trump posted on Truth Social last night. "It is unimaginable that he could run for President but, who knows, it's a very strange World!"

Newsom, who claimed his scheduled appearance at Davos following Trump on Wednesday was canceled under pressure from the White House and State Department, did take the stage Thursday and was sharply critical of Trump's Davos remarks.

"This is madness. You see what he's saying about European leaders, you, talking down to people, talking past people," Newsom said. "I mean, look, the comments he made yesterday that we're not even discussing because you're discussing all the other comments about windmills or whatever else that was happening."

"This is not normal. It's a deviation of normalcy. We got to call it out," Newsom said. "Donald Trump is an historic president. That's absolutely correct. He's historically unpopular in the United States of America."

Newsom noted that the transcript of the speech by Canadian Prime Minister Carney was widely shared at the World Economic Forum, and said Carney "got in Trump's head."

"I respect what Carney did because he had courage of convictions. He stood up. And I think we need to stand up in America and call this out with clarity," Newson said. "We can lose our Republic as we know it. Our country had become unrecognizable in a matter of months, just not years. It is code red, blinking red, in the United States of America."

NEWSOM CLAIMS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BLOCKED HIS DAVOS SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

THE RUNDOWN:

Washington Examiner: Trump says 'armada' headed for Iran, vows Greenland details in two weeks

Washington Examiner: Trump revokes Canada's invitation to Board of Peace in Truth Social 'letter' to Carney

Washington Examiner: Zelensky talks tough to European leaders about little progress on ending war: 'Groundhog day'

Washington Examiner: Final four government funding bills pass House and set up last battle in Senate

Washington Examiner: Hamas demilitarization still threatens success of 'Board of Peace'

Washington Examiner: French seizure of Russian oil tanker start of more aggressive strategy from Europe on shadow fleet

Washington Examiner: TikTok finalizes deal handing control of US operations to Trump-backed investors

Washington Examiner: Tom Rogan: Did Gen. Dan Caine tell Trump the military won't attack Greenland?

Wall Street Journal: US Weighs Complete Military Withdrawal from Syria

AP: House Republicans barely defeat Venezuela war powers resolution to check Trump's military actions

AP: Putin meets Trump's envoys as Kremlin says Ukraine settlement hinges on territory

New York Times: German Chancellor Urges Europe to Cut Red Tape and Spend Big on Defense

DefenseScoop: With Trump-NATO Deal on Greenland Unclear, Experts Push Allies to Expand Arctic Drone Presence

Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Pushes Out Key Officials Focused on China Tech Threat

Roll Call: Final Fiscal 2026 Spending Bills Pass House; Senate Up Next

Defense One: As Combat Evolves, Leaders Seek Not 'Super-Athletes' but 'Human Weapon Systems'

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Coming Soon to Air Force Basic Training: Mock Airfields Complete with F-16, C-130s

The War Zone: Australia Just Took Delivery of One of Its Most Powerful Weapons

Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Deputy Directors Named for Golden Dome, Top Air Force Programs

Breaking Defense: Pentagon CTO Offers Industry Free Use of 400 Patents from Gov't Labs—for a Start

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Vice Chief: Space Force Should Be Thinking About Cislunar 'a Lot Right Now'

Air & Space Forces Magazine: New 'Bridge' Air Force One from Qatar to Fly This Summer

THE CALENDAR:

FRIDAY | JANUARY 23

9 a.m. — Center for the National Interest virtual discussion: "Greenland: U.S. Interests, Options, and Allies," with Alexander Gray, CEO, American Global Strategies; Elizabeth Buchanan and Martha Miller, both senior fellows, Center for the National Interest https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register

10 a.m. — National Institute for Deterrence Studies virtual seminar: "Is China Seeking Nuclear Superiority? Unpacking 2025 Developments," with Rick Fisher, author of China's Military Modernization: Building for Regional and Global Reach https://thinkdeterrence.com/events/is-china-seeking-nuclear-superiority

2:30 p.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW— Center for Strategic and International Studies U.S.-Japan Security Seminar," with Kristi Govella, CSIS senior adviser and Japan chair; and Nicholas Szechenyi, vice president, CSIS Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department https://www.csis.org/events/2026-us-japan-security-seminar

MONDAY | JANUARY 26

Brussels, Belgium — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte addresses the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on Security and Defense

TUESDAY | JANUARY 27

2 p.m. 1025 Connecticut Ave. NW — Center for the National Interest panel discussion: "Iran: What Comes Next?" with Sina Azodi, assistant professor, Middle East Politics, George Washington University; and Alex Vatanka, senior fellow, Middle East Institute RSVP: Jordan Henry at [email protected]

WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 28

2:30 p.m. 232A Russell — Senate Armed Services Cybersecurity Subcommittee hearing: "The Department's Cyber Force Generation Plan and the Associated Implementation Plan," with Air Force Brig. Gen. R. Ryan Messer, deputy director for global operations, J3 Joint Staff; Army Lt. Gen. William Hartman, acting commander of the U.S. Cyber Command, performing the duties of director of the National Security Agency and acting chief of the Central Security Service; and Assistant Defense Secretary for Cyber Policy Katherine Sutton http://www.armed-services.senate.gov

THURSDAY | JANUARY 29

10 a.m. 253 Russell — Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries Subcommittee hearing: "The Fleet We Funded: Assessing Coast Guard Force Laydown on the Heels of Historic Investment," with Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday http://commerce.senate.gov