• Staff work shifts from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. tracking U.S. president’s statements
• Morning reports distributed to Danish government departments daily
• Measure implemented following spring diplomatic tensions over Arctic territory

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (TDR) — The Danish government has established a “night watch” within its foreign ministry to monitor President Donald Trump‘s statements and movements while Copenhagen sleeps, according to a report by Danish newspaper Politiken.

The arrangement, which begins at 5 p.m. local time each day, produces a morning report by 7 a.m. that is distributed across the Danish government and relevant departments detailing overnight developments related to Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring.

Origins of the arrangement

A source close to the Danish Foreign Ministry told The Guardian that the time difference between Denmark and the United States was “quite an important factor” in establishing the monitoring system this spring.

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10

The measure followed a diplomatic dispute between Copenhagen and Washington after Trump stated he would not rule out military or economic coercion to gain control of the mineral-rich Arctic island. In March, Trump told NBC News: “I never take military force off the table” regarding Greenland.

“It is fair to say that the situation in Greenland and the time difference between Denmark and the United States was quite an important factor introducing this arrangement during the spring.”

Diplomatic context

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has maintained that while Denmark remains open to increased cooperation with Washington on Arctic security, “it can never be about annexation.”

Earlier this month, Rasmussen warned U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Ken Howery to “stay away from Greenland,” according to Politico.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE THE DUPREE REPORT

“Yes, he should keep his hands off Greenland, and so should the U.S. in general—and the Americans know that very well,” Rasmussen stated.

Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told Newsweek that Danish authorities “remain very concerned about what Trump might do next.”

“Denmark is currently trying to play for time, hoping that this will fizzle out and that maybe a democratic win in the US midterms might stifle Trump’s ambitions to take Greenland.”

Upcoming talks

Senior officials from the United States, Denmark, and Greenland are scheduled to meet in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, in December to discuss military and civil cooperation. The meeting will mark the first formal three-party talks since Trump’s demands for ownership of the territory.

The 1951 defense agreement between Denmark and the United States provides a framework for American military presence in Greenland. Rasmussen has noted that U.S. military presence on the island has decreased from 17 bases and thousands of soldiers after World War II to the Pituffik Space Base with approximately 200 personnel today.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to deny that the Pentagon had plans to take Greenland by force during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in June, stating the military “has plans for any number of contingencies.”

Greenland’s position

Greenland, home to approximately 57,000 people, is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Opinion polls indicate a majority of Greenlanders support eventual independence from Denmark but oppose seeking it too quickly.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated that the territory would strengthen ties with Denmark until it could achieve sovereignty as an independent nation. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have visited Greenland to demonstrate solidarity with Danish and Greenlandic officials.

How should allied nations balance security cooperation with respect for territorial sovereignty?

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10