US President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared a series of AI-generated images on social media depicting an expanded map of the United States that includes Canada, Greenland and Venezuela, triggering renewed attention to his territorial assertions and recent policy moves.
One image shows Trump seated in the Oval Office during a meeting with NATO leaders, with a map in the background portraying the United States alongside Canada, Greenland and Venezuela as part of the same territorial outline. The image features several international leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In a separate post, Trump shared another AI-generated image showing himself alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, planting a US flag on land labelled “Greenland, US Territory, Est. 2026.”
Trump’s posts come amid his continued public emphasis on expanding US territorial influence since beginning his second term in January last year. He has repeatedly stated his desire for Canada to become the 51st US state and has maintained that Greenland is vital to American and global security. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the suggestion in May last year, saying it was important to separate “wants from reality.”
Trump’s comments on Greenland have intensified following developments involving Venezuela. On January 3, US forces attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro. Trump later said the United States would take control of the country temporarily to enable what he described as a safe and orderly transition. He also claimed the US would extract 300 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, sell it at market rates and use the proceeds for the benefit of both countries. Days later, Trump posted an image of his Wikipedia page listing him as the “Acting President of Venezuela.”
The Greenland issue was also discussed during a phone call on Tuesday between Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Trump said the two agreed to hold discussions with multiple parties on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, reiterating that Greenland was “imperative” for national and global security.
The posts appeared only hours after the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced plans to deploy aircraft to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. NORAD said the aircraft would arrive soon to support long-planned activities, coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark, with the Greenland government informed in advance.
Meanwhile, Trump has imposed 10 per cent tariffs, effective February 1, on eight European countries that have publicly backed Denmark and Greenland, adding to diplomatic strain between Washington and its European partners.
The White House has not issued an official clarification on the AI-generated images, but the posts have added momentum to ongoing international debate over Trump’s territorial rhetoric and its implications for transatlantic relations.
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