Trump’s Greenland Gambit Revives Monroe Doctrine

Frederikke Høye

January 21, 2026
4:46 pm

Donald Trump’s approach to Greenland and his broader foreign policy echo a centuries-old American worldview. Historians argue that what appears new is instead a revival of the Monroe Doctrine and its belief that the U.S. must protect its own hemisphere from outside influence.

A Return to an Old American Vision

Many Danes were startled when the United States under Donald Trump suggested gaining control over part of the Kingdom of Denmark by showing interest in buying Greenland. To them, this seemed far from the image of the U.S. that symbolizes freedom, democracy, and Hollywood dreams. But historians note that America’s view of itself as distinct from Europe runs deep, going back more than 200 years.

After winning independence from Britain in 1776, the United States saw itself as the opposite of Europe’s old empires. This idea shaped its early diplomacy and later became the foundation of the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. President James Monroe declared that European powers should stay out of the Americas and that the U.S. had the right to intervene in its own hemisphere if needed.

From the Monroe Doctrine to the Donroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine was authored during a time when travel and communication happened on horseback. Still, it gave the young United States a mission: to define its own sphere of interest free from European interference. Over the years, that idea evolved with America’s growing strength and ambition.

Historians suggest that Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine,” as some have called it, is a modern extension of that same logic. The new version once again centers on protecting American interests across the North and South American continents. It reflects a pattern the U.S. has followed for centuries—alternating between isolationism and global activism.

Interestingly, this worldview also helps explain the tension around Greenland, a territory strategically important for both military and environmental reasons. The American interest in Greenland recalls earlier efforts to maintain control over the Western Hemisphere, seen clearly in policies like the Monroe Doctrine. For more context, see why Trump wants Greenland from a Danish perspective.

A Summer War and a Growing Power

At first, the Monroe Doctrine existed mostly on paper. The United States in the 1820s lacked the military power to enforce it. But that began to change by 1898 when America went to war with Spain. The short but decisive conflict pushed Spain out of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. It proved that the idea of an American-controlled hemisphere could become reality.

Over time, Washington applied the doctrine again and again, especially in Latin America. U.S. interventions in South and Central America were justified under the same belief that the Western Hemisphere was America’s domain. Even during World War II, when U.S. troops occupied Greenland to prevent Nazi Germany from establishing a base there, the underlying motive matched Monroe’s principle: keep foreign powers out of the region.

From Isolation to Global Policeman

After World War II, the United States emerged as a global superpower. It began to involve itself far beyond its hemisphere, from Korea and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. This broader vision rested on an updated conviction that spreading democracy and trade could bring peace and maintain American influence.

But political experts note that U.S. policy swings like a pendulum. Sometimes Washington seeks to lead the world. Other times it turns inward, putting “America First.” The current shift toward protecting national interests fits the long-standing cycle in U.S. history.

While Trump’s approach may seem new, it revives the same strategic instincts that shaped American actions for centuries. Whether called the Monroe or the Donroe Doctrine, the principle remains the same: the U.S. views itself as the guardian of its own continent.