How NATO works at a time when Trump is threatening to seize Greenland

BRUSSELS (AP) — President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to seize control of Greenland are straining relations with U.S. allies in NATO and have sparked a warning that doing so by force could spell the end of the world’s biggest security alliance.

Tensions have routinely spiked among some of NATO’s members over the decades, notably between neighbors Greece and Turkey. But it would set a dangerous precedent should its most powerful country, the United States, annex the territory of another ally.

“One way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland,” Trump reaffirmed on Sunday. The White House has not ruled out the use of military force. Trump said he wants to prevent Russia or China from taking over and that making a deal would be “easier.”

Greenland is a semi-autonomous island that is part of the Danish realm. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that “if the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops … including our NATO.”

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed by 12 nations in 1949 to counter the security threat posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. NATO’s deterrence works through a strong American troop presence in Europe, with U.S. nuclear weapons stationed there.

Its ranks have grown since the founding Washington Treaty was signed to 32 countries after Sweden joined in 2024, worried by an increasingly aggressive Russia. Indeed, NATO officially considers its biggest threats to be Russia and international terrorism.

NATO’s doors are open to any European country that wants to join and can meet the requirements and obligations. Importantly, NATO takes its decisions by consensus, so every member has a veto. The Trump administration has vetoed Ukraine’s application.

NATO is built on the principle that an attack on any one of its ranks must be considered an attack on them all — the collective security guarantee enshrined in Article 5 of the treaty. The organization’s credibility depends on adversaries believing that all 32 allies will make good on that pledge.

It’s a political commitment and not a legal obligation that can be enforced by any court. The only time it has ever been activated was in 2001, to support the United States in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.

Trump said last year that he is committed to the Article 5 pledge, but he has also fueled doubt about whether he would defend allies who don’t spend enough on defense. However, his repeated threats against Greenland take things to a new level.

Article 5 would be moot in any U.S.-Denmark fight as there would be no unanimity to activate it. Besides diplomacy, NATO has no obvious way of dealing with open conflict among its members. Senior U.S. and Danish officials were due to hold talks on Wednesday.

Should things get worse, Denmark could trigger Article 4 of the treaty for official consultations if it feels that its sovereignty or territorial integrity is threatened. Article 4 talks do not automatically lead to any action.

A U.S. attack is almost certain to divide NATO. This happened when the United States led an attack on Iraq in 2003, with Britain and Spain backing while France and Germany led a group of others vehemently opposed.

It’s unclear which allies would side with Trump over Greenland.

The United States is NATO’s most powerful member. In real terms, it spends much more on defense than any other ally and far outweighs its partners in terms of military muscle. Washington has traditionally driven the agenda but has stepped back under Trump.

NATO is weaker without U.S. leadership, troops, equipment or other military assets. It’s almost inconceivable that any ally would go to war with it, let alone hope to win.

Day-to-day work at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters is led by former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

As NATO’s top civilian official, he chairs meetings of ambassadors in the North Atlantic Council most weeks. He chairs other “NACs” at ministerial level and summits of heads of state and government. Rutte runs NATO HQ, encourages consensus and speaks on behalf of all 32 members.

One of his main tasks is to ensure that the United States remains committed to NATO. As a result, he does not criticize Trump, and on Monday he sidestepped questions about Greenland and any NATO tensions over the island.

“All allies agree on the importance of the Arctic and Arctic security because we know that with sea lanes opening up there is a risk that the Russians and the Chinese will be more active,” Rutte told reporters.

Asked whether NATO was in crisis over Greenland, Rutte said: “No, not at all."

NATO’s military headquarters is based nearby in Mons, Belgium. It is always run by a top American officer. The current supreme allied commander, or SACEUR, is Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich. Trump is his commander in chief.

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen departs after a meeting of the 'Coalition of the Willing' on Ukraine at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

President Donald Trump waves after arriving on Air Force One from Florida, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FILE - Danish military forces participate in an exercise with hundreds of troops from several European NATO members in the Arctic Ocean in Nuuk, Greenland, Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, center, is welcomed by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, in Zagreb, Croatia, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris “wrote off rural America" during the 2024 presidential campaign and failed to attack Donald Trump with sufficient “negative firepower," according to a long-awaited post-election autopsy released on Thursday by the Democratic National Committee.

The committee's chair, Ken Martin, shared the 192-page report only after facing intense internal pressure from frustrated Democratic operatives concerned with his leadership. Martin had originally promised to release the autopsy, only to keep it under wraps for months because he was concerned it would be a distraction ahead of the midterms as Democrats mobilize to take back control of Congress.

On Tuesday, Martin apologized for his handling of the situation and conceded that the report was withheld because it “was not ready for primetime."

Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,” it sidesteps some of the most controversial elements of the 2024 campaign. The report does not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace him on the ticket or the party's acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza.

“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin wrote in an essay on Substack on Thursday. “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.”

A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The initial reaction from Democratic operatives was a mix of bafflement and anger over Martin's handling of the situation.

“Why not say this in 2024, or bring in more people to finish it, instead of turning this into the dumbest media cycle for 7-8 months?” Democratic strategist Steve Schale wrote on social media.

The postelection report, which was authored by Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, calls for “a renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South, who have come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.”

“Millions of Americans are suffering from poor access to healthcare, manufacturing and job losses, and a failing infrastructure, yet continue to be persuaded to vote against their best interests because they do not see themselves reflected in the America of the Democratic Party,” the report says.

The autopsy points to a reduction in support and training for Democratic state parties, voter registration shifts and “a persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters.”

Thursday's release comes as Martin confronts a crisis of confidence among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of their political machine barely a year into his term. Some Democratic operatives have had informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even though most believe that Martin’s job wasn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.

The report found that Harris and her allies failed to focus enough on Trump's negatives, especially his felony convictions. This was part of a broader criticism that Democrats' messaging is too focused on reason and winning arguments, “even in cycles when the electorate is defined by rage.”

“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to engage in negative advertising at the scale required,” the report states. “The Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs went full throttle against Vice President Harris, but there was not sufficient or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”

The report continues: “It was essential to prosecute a more effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from ever again taking office. The grounds were there, but the messaging did not make the case.”

Trump's attack on Harris' transgender policies were cited as a key contrast.

Specifically, the report suggested the Democratic nominee was “boxed” in by the Trump campaign's “very effective” ad that highlighted Harris' previous statement of support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.

Democratic pollsters believed that “if the Vice President would not change her position – and she did not – then there was nothing which would have worked as a response," the report said.

The report criticized Harris' outreach to key segments of America while condemning the party's focus on “identity politics.”

“Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins and make it up elsewhere when rural voters are a significant share of the electorate. If Democrats are to reclaim leadership in the Heartland or the South, candidates must perform well in rural turf. Show up, listen, and then do it again.”

The report also references Democrats' underperformance with male voters of color.

“Male voters require direct engagement. The gender gap can be narrowed. Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and don’t assume identity politics will hold male voters of color,” it says.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event about loosening a federal refrigerant rule, in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

FILE - Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)