The United States’ closest ally is bracing itself for a potential American assault.
The Canadian Armed Forces have prepared a response to a hypothetical U.S. military invasion for the first time in more than a century, two government officials told The Globe and Mail.
The two NATO countries share deep-rooted ties, including the world’s longest undefended international border and a longstanding partnership in continental air defense.
But unhinged and unpredictable threats from President Donald Trump toward Canada and other allied nations have left military officials feeling compelled to prepare for the worst.
During a late-night posting spree between Monday night and Tuesday morning, Trump shared an edited image depicting the American flag draped across Canada, the semi-autonomous island of Greenland, and Venezuela as part of the United States.
At the same time, Canadian officials are weighing whether to send a small contingent of troops to Greenland—a Danish territory—in a show of solidarity with European allies amid Trump’s aggressive push to acquire the Arctic island.
Trump has also fixated on what he views as vulnerabilities along Canada’s northern border that could be exploited by U.S. adversaries Russia or China, according to two U.S. officials, a senior administration official, and three former senior U.S. officials who spoke to NBC News. With 3.85 million square miles and 40 million residents, Canada is the largest target on Trump’s growing list of potential land grabs.
Aides told NBC that Trump’s focus on Canada is part of a broader effort to “solidify” the Western Hemisphere, which he believes would be strengthened by U.S. control of Greenland.
“Canada stands to benefit from the U.S. having Greenland,” one administration official told NBC.
Publicly, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney doesn’t see it the same way. The Canadian leader voiced support for Denmark’s NATO membership on Friday, and said Greenland—home to roughly 57,000 residents and located northeast of Canada—should determine its own future.
Canadians are growing increasingly alarmed over the prospect of an American attack following Trump’s stealthy invasion of Venezuela, according to recent polling. Trump has previously said “it’s highly unlikely” he would use military force against Canada, but the president has not ruled out deploying U.S. military troops to countries including Colombia, U.S. ally Mexico, and Greenland.
Additionally, Canada isn’t the only allied country bracing against Trump’s threats.
French President Emmanuel Macron used his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to deliver a pointed rebuke of Trump’s threats to impose new tariffs on European allies who oppose his bid to seize Greenland.
“Let’s not be divided, let’s not accept the global order which will be decided by those who claim to have the bigger voice, or the bigger teeth, or the bigger… I don’t know,” Macron, 48, said Tuesday morning.
“We do prefer respect to bullies. We do prefer science to politicism. And we prefer the rule of law to brutality,” Macron said.
Macron was also swept into Trump’s online barrage, after the president shared a screenshot of a private text message from the French leader to Truth Social—a message French officials later confirmed as authentic.
“My friend, we are totally in line on Syria. We can do great things on Iran. I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” Macron wrote.
“Let us try to build great things… Let us have a dinner together in Paris before you go back to the U.S.”
“They’re saying, ‘Oh gee, let’s have dinner, let’s do this, let’s do that.’ It just made my point,” Trump told the New York Post Tuesday morning.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
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