President Trump's pledge to tax eight NATO allies to force a deal on Greenland triggered swift blowback across the Atlantic, jeopardizing the U.S.–EU trade agreement Trump once called the "biggest deal ever made."
On Wednesday morning, dozens of top military, political and diplomatic officials in Washington and across the Middle East believed U.S. bombs would be dropping in Tehran within hours.
By that afternoon, it was clear the order was not coming, two U.S. officials said. America had stood down.
The big picture: Over the past week, President Trump has at various times been leaning toward striking the Iranian regime over its violent crackdown on protesters — thousands of whom are believed to have been killed.
President Trump's advisers have little patience for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's objections as they push ahead with "phase two" of the Gaza peace plan.
"This is our show, not his show. We managed to do things in Gaza in recent months nobody thought was possible, and we are going to continue moving," a senior U.S. official told Axios, referring to Netanyahu.
President Trump announced Saturday he would impose a 10% tariff on imports from eight NATO allies — including Denmark — until a deal is reached for the U.S. to purchase Greenland.
Why it matters: The threat marks the most significant step yet in Trump's campaign to acquire the vast Arctic territory, which has been controlled by Denmark for centuries.
