CNN
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As Denmark takes over the presidency of the European Union, Danes are stronger than any point in the last 20 years. This is a change in emotions that is at least partially attributed to President Donald Trump.
An eye-opening survey published in March by Berlingske, the Danish Daily Newspaper, found that 41% of Danes now view the United States as a threat. Additionally, 92% of respondents said they “agree” or “almost agree” that Scandinavian countries need to rely more on the European Union than on the US.
These statistics may not be surprising given the recent tensions between Washington and Copenhagen.
Since he returned to the White House, Trump has frequently and actively spoken about Greenland, the dependence of Danish autonomous crown, and has asked the US to own it.
Vice President JD Vance and members of the Trump family have created what many consider to be provocative trips and statements about the world’s largest island.
After Vance visited the US military Pitafik Space Station in Greenland in March, Danish Prime Minister Mettefredericksen pushed back his claim that Denmark was not sufficient to defend in the Arctic Circle, calling her country a “good and strong ally.”
Back in Trump’s first administration, Greenland was a hot topic. In 2019, he reportedly accused Fredericksen of making “troubling” and “absurd” statements in discussions about the island.
Rikke Fris, a well-known Danish international affairs analyst and former minister, told CNN that the country had experienced a “triple shock,” including a war in Ukraine and a departure from the UK from the EU, known as Brexit. But the biggest shock came in the form of Trump.
“Now we have another Denmark,” she said.
Speaking to CNN from Copenhagen, Danish Minister of European Affairs Marie Bierreer delivered a similar message. The second Trump administration has transformed Danish perspective into both the US and the European Union.
“Things have changed dramatically in Denmark, and our attitude towards Europe has changed dramatically,” she said without directly mentioning the president’s name.
She was also very clear that Denmark felt a sense of disappointment in its longtime allies.
Denmark still wants to have strong ties with the US. “But in a situation where the US is closing itself more, it threatens us with tariffs, criticizing Europe, our freedom of expression, everything else. Of course, in that situation, we have to be strong ourselves.”
She added, “As we know since World War II, the world order has changed and we must reach a new geopolitical situation in which we stand.”
The Minister also referred to historical connections, shared the past experiences of both countries and expressed some degree of frustration about how the relationship, if not anger, changed.
“You couldn’t put paper between the US and Denmark. We’ve always supported the US. We started a war with soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of course we see us as a country criticized for not being a good ally that influences our opinions,” Bierer said.
Per capita, Denmark has lost the second-highest number of soldiers of all US-led coalition partners fighting in Afghanistan. In total, 43 Danish soldiers have died, equivalent to 7.82 deaths per million citizens. By comparison, the US lost 7.96 soldiers per million.
“We used to be a very transatlantic country…it plummeted,” Fris said. “We have feelings now… we can’t trust him,” she said – “He” is Trump.
The change in Danes’ opinion coincides with Denmark’s occupying the six-month EU presidency that revolved around.
Historically, Scandinavia’s southernmost countries tend to be eurosceptic, Friis told CNN that he doesn’t take Europe to heart. She explained that she maintains a business relationship with Brussels based on “practical cooperation.”
Denmark has long been worried that the EU will take Danish lives, especially for fear of a relatively unregulated labor market. There are various opt-outs regarding EU policy, including not participating in the EU’s single currency, the EU.
“We’re doing something different from other European countries,” says Bjerre.
Politicians and citizens feared that the EU would become “too dominant and powerful,” but Fris said, now “fear is totally opposed.” Daines feels that Brock is “too weak.”
Friis also described the change in the prime minister’s tone as “huge” and said Frederiksen is “very skeptical of the EU.”
In June, Fredericksen announced that Denmark had stopped what is called “Frugal Four.”
Laying out Danish priorities for the EU presidency later that month, she reiterated her views, saying, “More than ever, Europe needs to stand together and stand together. We need to build a safer Europe that can protect democracy.”
The six-month EU-mandated polls have shown a clear trend in increasing confidence in the EU over the past 20 years, up from 46% in spring 2005 to 74% this spring. A sharp increase is seen during Trump’s first term after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and after Trump’s second term began.
The war in Ukraine has had a major impact on Danish views on the EU, Fris said.
“The very fact that you went to war in our backyard created a whole new kind of atmosphere about Danish security. People are worried. People are prepared because they are scared of what will happen to our own security,” she said.
Bjerre said Copenhagen’s EU presidency prioritizes “a stronger Europe and a changing world” and that Europe really focuses on security.
Denmark has to do more in itself when it is at the helm of Europe and then more and more European sentiments are aware of more and more in Europe among its own population. The problem is that Ukraine, trade tariffs, safety – some of Europe’s most pressing issues mean talking to the US and Trump. And at this point, there may not be much love between the two.
