Denmark's 'Night Watch' To Keep Tab On Trump's Remarks Amid Greenland Row

The Danish government has set up a unique "night watch" within its foreign ministry to keep track of US President Donald Trump's statements and activities during Copenhagen's nighttime hours.

According to Politiken, the initiative begins daily at 5 pm local time. Staff is assigned to monitor Trump's public remarks, social media posts, and other movements. By 7 am, they compile a report summarising key developments before distributing them to relevant government departments and officials.

Instead of having individual officials constantly check their phones for US news, Denmark's foreign office decided to take a "collective effort" approach to stay updated on Trump.

This is believed to have been introduced following tensions between Copenhagen and Washington over Greenland when Trump threatened to take control of the Arctic island in his first term in 2019.

Earlier this year, Trump reiterated his controversial interest in Greenland, saying, "We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America."

In response to Trump's repeated suggestions that an Arctic island could become part of the US, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told public broadcaster DR, "US annexation of Greenland won't happen," adding that the region's future will be decided by the Greenlanders themselves.

The "night watch" is only one instance of how Danish diplomacy and the nation's civil service have had to adjust to the unpredictability of the second Trump administration, said Politiken.

"It is fair to say that the situation in Greenland and the time difference between Denmark and the United States was quite an important factor in introducing this arrangement during the spring," a source close to the foreign office told The Guardian.

Jacob Kaarsbo, a former chief analyst at the Danish Defence Intelligence Agency, said, "As we have always known, the idea that the US was Denmark's largest and most important ally is dead. Alliances are built on common values and a common threat perception. Trump shares neither of those with us, and I would argue he doesn't share it with most Europeans."