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Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Sep 22, 2026· Updated

Eight Months After Threatening to Take It by Force, Trump Announces a Deal With Denmark That He Says Gives the U.S. "Permanent Control Over Security, and All Other Needs, in Greenland" — Rubio Says It "Permanently and Completely Addresses Our National Security Concerns," While Greenland Stays Danish

On the evening of Friday, September 18, 2026, President Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States "has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns." He said the U.S. would "immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland," at no cost to the United States. According to a State Department official, the agreement bars any non-NATO base or troop presence in Greenland, bars adversaries from making investments on the island that could threaten the United States, and remains in force "forever" — even if Greenland becomes fully independent. Greenland remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, a significant retreat from Trump's January demand for U.S. ownership, when he said "We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force." Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called it "an agreement that strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area," and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said it respected "the Kingdom's red lines." The deal still requires parliamentary action in Denmark and Greenland, and the official text had not been released as of September 19. For the January confrontation that preceded the deal, see the earlier story on Trump's claimed NATO deal for Greenland control.

“I look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland. It's been a great experience, amazing experience, and we've really formed a bond.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 22, 2026

The Pentagon’s Europe Review Puts Its First Numbers on Paper — 25,000 to 40,000 of the 80,000 U.S. Troops in Europe, Below the Floor Congress Set in Law — and Eight Senate Democrats Tell Rubio That American Ambassadors Have Been "Excluded From Consultations"

The Europe Force Posture Review, launched in June 2026 and run out of the office of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, is due to deliver a final recommendation to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on November 6, 2026. On September 17 and 18, Reuters and NBC News reported the first numbers the review has put on paper: options to withdraw between 25,000 and 40,000 of the roughly 80,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe, along with aircraft and ships, with Germany, Italy and Spain among the countries hosting the largest affected deployments. Either figure would take the U.S. presence below the 76,000-troop floor Congress wrote into the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which bars a reduction below that level without a prior security assessment and certification to lawmakers. On September 17, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led seven Senate Democrats in a letter to Marco Rubio — who holds the dual role of Secretary of State and National Security Advisor — objecting that the review is being conducted without meaningful State Department participation, and that U.S. ambassadors in the countries that would be affected have been kept out of it. The senators wrote that the Pentagon had sent allied governments a questionnaire covering diplomatic priorities that properly sit with the State Department. The same week, Trump posted that "major progress" was being made toward a U.S. Army base in Poland — the administration’s answer to the drawdown reporting being that forces are being repositioned toward NATO’s eastern flank rather than pulled off the continent. A final recommendation is not due until November 6, three days after the midterm elections.

“Thanks to the bold leadership of my friend, Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland, major progress is being made toward establishing a U.S. Army base in Poland.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 17, 2026

Trump Says He Will Bill Europe for the Weapons the United States Already Gave Ukraine — "We Will Be Asking for That Money, Though Somewhat Belatedly" — and Halts Munitions Sales to Allies While He Denies the Iran War Has Drained the Stockpile

On September 3, 2026, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States would seek retroactive payment from European countries for the munitions and military aid sent to Ukraine under the Biden administration. "Hundreds of Billions of Dollars was given to Ukraine and NATO, free of charge, that Europe would have paid for — If they were only asked, but we will be asking for that money, though somewhat belatedly!" He did not name which countries he meant, or identify any legal mechanism for collecting. The post was also a rebuttal. Reporting through late August had described U.S. precision-munitions stockpiles heavily depleted by six months of war with Iran, and combatant commanders had formally objected to extending the campaign. Trump wrote that the United States has "virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition" and is producing at "levels never seen before" — while simultaneously confirming a pause in sales to allies: "We are taking them for ourselves, the U.S.A., rather than selling them to others, but the sales to allies will soon again, begin." The demand landed as European governments were already refusing to join the Iran campaign. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking at the G20 finance meeting in North Carolina, described a global energy shock driven by both the Ukraine and Iran wars. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, had just returned from a bipartisan congressional delegation to Ukraine. She called the president's demand "outrageous" and said she would increase Ukraine funding if Democrats win the House.

“This is extraordinary… it's outrageous. It's an outrageous commentary. I don't believe he even knows or understands what he's speaking about. I really don't think he understands or he gets it.”
Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) · Sep 4, 2026

Aug 30, 2026· Updated

A Democratic Senator and a Republican Congressman Jointly Tell Hegseth to Reverse the 30 Percent Cut to U.S. Fighter Jets Committed to NATO — "Deterring Russia Is Far Less Costly Than Fighting a War With Russia"

On August 19, 2026, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth urging the Department to reverse planned reductions in the forces the United States commits to NATO operations in Europe. Earlier in the summer, U.S. European Command announced it would scale back its NATO commitment, including a roughly 30 percent cut to fighter jets, a reduction in reconnaissance aircraft, and the withdrawal of aerial refueling tankers. The lawmakers wrote that the decision and the speed of its implementation would weaken allied deterrence and send a troubling signal to Moscow at a moment of strain in the transatlantic relationship. The letter asked Hegseth to reconsider the cuts and to provide Congress, in writing by August 31, 2026, an explanation of how the United States intends to uphold its commitments to allied security. It arrives against a Congress that has already tried to fence in the drawdown: the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act set a 76,000-troop floor for U.S. forces in Europe and, through a provision secured by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), requires the administration to consult Congress and allies before changing force posture there. Neguse and Bacon lead the bipartisan effort from opposite parties — Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general, has been among the most consistent Republican critics of the administration's Europe drawdown.

“I doubt that Congress will approve, at this critical moment, reduction in force structure in Europe when Putin is more dangerous and threatening than ever.”
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) · Aug 30, 2026

Trump’s Own Envoy Publicly Breaks With Israel Over Its Strike on a Syrian Airbase — Says U.S. Intelligence Found No Turkish Buildup and Floats That Israel Was "Baiting" a NATO Ally Ahead of Its Election

On the night of August 17–18, 2026, Israeli aircraft dropped at least eight bombs on the runway and hangars of the disused Abu al-Duhur airbase in northwestern Syria, roughly 45 miles from the Turkish border. Israel's justification was that Syria was on the verge of breaching a security understanding by allowing Turkish troops to deploy there. What followed was a rare, sustained public break between the Trump administration's own envoy and the Israeli government. Tom Barrack — U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria, and the official Trump has credited with brokering the first direct Syrian–Israeli talks — said on August 18 that Washington was deeply concerned the strike was "an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability." The next day he went further, warning that because Turkish forces had no idea Israeli jets were inbound or what they were targeting, they "could potentially have been inclined to scramble their own jets in the belief that they themselves were under attack" — a scenario he said "carried a real risk of rapid escalation into a direct military confrontation between Israel and Turkey as well as Syria." Barrack then said the U.S. had checked Israel's central factual claim and could not confirm it: "We went back to our respective intelligence agencies. The answer we got is, no, that's not happening." On August 22 he offered a theory for why the strike happened anyway — that with Israel's election set for October, "one theory is they were just baiting Turkey, and it's a very aggressive, but maybe well-received, pre-election concept." In the same interview he also said Israel still occupies the Golan Heights "against the UN resolutions," a position at odds with stated U.S. policy. Israel pushed back hard. Defense Minister Israel Katz called Barrack's account "full of inaccuracies" and said it contained "positions that contradict the position of US President Trump," insisting Israel had clear intelligence about Turkish intentions at the base. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told Axios he had told Israel directly that his government was not working with Turkey to build up a military presence there, and that Israel struck anyway. The episode matters because Turkey is a NATO ally whose Article 5 protections the alliance has never had to weigh against an Israeli strike, because the Trump administration has treated the new Syrian government as a foreign policy win it does not want destabilized, and because a sitting U.S. ambassador publicly questioning an Israeli government's motives — and floating an electoral one — is not something Washington usually does out loud.

“President Trump has been CLEAR about Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights for years! It seems the Ambassador forgot that or failed to do his research, so here’s a refresher for him.”
Rick Scott (R-FL) · Aug 23, 2026

King Charles III Addresses Joint Session of Congress, Urges Ukraine Support and NATO Unity

On April 28, 2026, King Charles III became only the second British monarch in history to address a joint session of the United States Congress, receiving 12 standing ovations. The address, delivered during a state visit timed to the 250th anniversary of American independence, was widely read as a pointed but diplomatically careful message to the Trump administration on several of its most contentious policy departures. The King called for "unyielding resolve" in support of Ukraine and urged Congress to stand firm with NATO allies, drawing a bipartisan standing ovation — notable given deep Republican divisions over continued military aid to Kyiv. He praised diversity and interfaith cooperation, highlighted the importance of checks on executive power, and invoked the shared history of the US-UK alliance through two world wars. He also referenced the WHCD shooting from three days prior, saying acts of political violence "will never succeed." While careful not to name Trump or any policy directly, analysts noted that Charles's emphasis on alliance commitments, Ukraine, and democratic norms carried unmistakable relevance to current US political debates. Trump called the speech "fantastic."

“King Charles gave a fantastic speech. He loves our country and I love him. It was a great honor to have him here.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Apr 28, 2026

Trump Claims NATO Deal for Greenland Control

President Trump announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21, 2026 that he had "formed the framework of a future deal" on Greenland following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and said he would not proceed with tariffs on eight European countries over the issue. He ruled out taking the territory by military force — "I won't do that" — while insisting no other country can defend Greenland and pressing for immediate negotiations. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said taking force off the table was positive but that "the president's ambition is intact." The push drew unusually direct opposition from Senate Republicans through January: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) argued Greenland should be treated as an ally rather than an asset, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) called the demands amateurish and absurd, Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) said the idea should be dropped, and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warned it would incinerate NATO alliances. A bipartisan delegation led by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and including Tillis traveled to Copenhagen in mid-January to reassure Danish and Greenlandic leaders. The expansionist push also prompted boycott discussions for World Cup 2026 and strained transatlantic relations.

“We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won't do that.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Jan 21, 2026