PBS News Hour - Full Show Trump backs down from Greenland, but how much damage has been done?
Jan 24, 2026
Matthias Matthijs, a Europe expert at Johns Hopkins SAIS and CFR fellow; Eric Edelman, career diplomat and former ambassador; Sherri Goodman, Arctic security and climate defense specialist; Carla Sands, former U.S. ambassador to Denmark and foreign policy chair. They discuss Greenland’s strategic importance, allied trust and transatlantic damage, the framework deal’s contours, and how Europe may seek greater autonomy.
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Greenland's Growing Strategic Role
- Greenland is strategically vital for early warning and Arctic navigation as ice melts and sea lanes open.
- Sherri Goodman warns warming amplifies Arctic importance for U.S. and NATO defense planning.
U.S. Presence In Greenland History
- Carla Sands recalled U.S. occupation and infrastructure work in Greenland during World War II.
- She described Denmark's very limited military presence when she served as ambassador.
U.S. Reliability Has Been Eroding
- European distrust of U.S. reliability predates Trump but has deepened under his rhetoric.
- Eric Edelman says threats and tariff talk have raised lasting questions about collective defense.
