Trump's obsession with Greenland is very dangerous. But he is also a limping duck, says Tom Nichols episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 19, 2026 · 22 MIN

Trump's obsession with Greenland is very dangerous. But he is also a limping duck, says Tom Nichols

from The Global Agora · host Andrej Matisak

Tom Nichols considers Donald Trump's obsession with Greenland very dangerous. "I think that's his most dangerous fixation because if this turns violent or confrontational, it could blow up NATO. I think Putin and others will say it's time to start taking advantage," Tom told me when we spoke about the first year of Trump’s second presidency. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a contributor to The Atlantic Daily newsletter. He is also a Professor Emeritus of national security affairs at the US Naval War College. His books include The Death of Expertise and Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from Within on Modern Democracy. Tom thinks that Trump is an even bigger threat than we thought, but he is also optimistic. Why? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

Tom Nichols considers Donald Trump's obsession with Greenland very dangerous. "I think that's his most dangerous fixation because if this turns violent or confrontational, it could blow up NATO. I think Putin and others will say it's time to start taking advantage," Tom told me when we spoke about the first year of Trump’s second presidency. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a contributor to The Atlantic Daily newsletter. He is also a Professor Emeritus of national security affairs at the US Naval War College. His books include The Death of Expertise and Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from Within on Modern Democracy. Tom thinks that Trump is an even bigger threat than we thought, but he is also optimistic. Why? Listen to our conversation. And if you enjoy what I do, please support me on Ko-fi! Thank you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/amatisak

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Trump's obsession with Greenland is very dangerous. But he is also a limping duck, says Tom Nichols

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Tom Nichols considers Donald Trump's obsession with Greenland very dangerous. "I think that's his most dangerous fixation because if this turns violent or confrontational, it could blow up NATO. I think Putin and others will say it's time to start...

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