Denmark Sets Up Special Monitoring Operation to Observe President Trump After Greenland Row
In a move reminiscent of fictional watches, Denmark's foreign affairs department has initiated a nighttime monitoring team—not to fend off fantasy foes, but to track the US president as Denmark sleeps.
The night watch starts at 5 p.m. local time daily and ends with a report produced at 7 a.m., which is then distributed throughout the Danish government and relevant agencies covering what was said and events taking place.
The role is understood to have been introduced in the wake of the bilateral row between Denmark and Washington over the Arctic island earlier this year, when the American leader suggested taking control of the strategic territory.
Analysts point out that this initiative is one of multiple instances of how Danish diplomacy and its government administration have had to adapt to the new reality of the second Trump administration.
An insider close to the ministry stated, “It's accurate to say that the circumstances in Greenland and the time zone gap between Copenhagen and the United States were quite an important factor introducing this system in the earlier months.”
Rather than all staff needing to promptly check their phones to catch up on updates from the United States, the foreign office explained it had made a coordinated approach to remain informed on the president's actions.
An expert, a former chief analyst at the Danish defence intelligence agency, stated that this development demonstrated, “as long understood,” that the idea of the US as Denmark’s largest and most important partner was dead. “Alliances are founded on common values and a common threat perception,” he added. “The president lacks both of those with us and I would argue he lacks it with the majority of Europe.”
