The European Union’s top official did not hold back in her warnings about President Donald Trump’s threat to impose fresh tariffs on countries opposing his push for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Trump’s threats ‘a mistake’ and questioned U.S. trustworthiness, saying that the EU-U.S. trade deal from July had to ‘mean something.’

‘Arctic security can only be achieved together. This is why the proposed additional tariffs are a mistake, especially between long-standing allies. The EU and U.S. have agreed to a trade deal last July. And in politics as in business — a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, it must mean something,’ Von der Leyen said.

‘We consider the people of the United States not just our allies, but our friends. And plunging us into a dangerous downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape,’ she added, vowing the EU’s response would be ‘unflinching, united and proportional.’

French President Emmanuel Macron also addressed the issue at Davos, saying the tariffs could force the EU to use its anti-coercion mechanism against the U.S. ‘for the very first time,’ The Associated Press reported. The outlet noted that he argued that allied countries should be focused on bringing peace to Ukraine and ending the nearly four-year war with Russia.

Trump announced on Saturday that starting on Feb. 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands and Finland would face a 10% tariff on all goods imported to the U.S. The rate will then increase to 25% on June 1. The president added that ‘this tariff will be due and payable until such time as a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland.’

The president doubled down on his argument that U.S. control of Greenland was necessary to protect national security and American interests, saying that the acquisition would be key to developing the Golden Dome, a cutting-edge missile defense system meant to intercept threats targeting the American homeland.

The Trump administration’s rhetoric about Greenland has caused friction between the U.S. and several allies, who warn that annexing the territory could burn diplomatic bridges. However, on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said U.S. relations with Europe remain strong and encouraged trading partners to ‘take a deep breath,’ the AP reported.

Leaders from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the U.K. issued a joint statement on Tuesday, affirming their commitment as NATO members to ‘strengthening Arctic security as a shared transatlantic interest.’ They also expressed their solidarity with Denmark and Greenland.

‘Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty,’ the statement read.

Some European nations recently tried to flex their muscles with a brief troop deployment to Greenland. France, Germany, Sweden and Norway participated in a two-day exercise to bolster the Danish territory’s defenses amid Trump’s threats. Germany deployed a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel, France sent 15 mountain specialists and Sweden, Norway and Britain sent three, two and one officers, respectively, according to Reuters.

In text messages that Trump published on Truth Social, Macron suggested a meeting of the Group of Seven (G-7) nations in Paris after the conference in Davos. The AP reported that an official close to Macron confirmed the authenticity of the text exchange. As of Jan. 20, no such meeting had been announced.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond and Gillian Turner contributed to this report.

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., warned that President Donald Trump’s growing threats against her home state, including possibly invoking a rarely used, centuries-old executive authority, were tantamount to a declaration of war.

Last week, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents continue to clash with agitators in Minneapolis.

‘The president’s statements today essentially amount to threats of declaring war on Minnesota,’ Smith said. ‘And in a time when we should be trying to keep people safe and finding a path forward, he continues to throw gasoline on the fire in ways that are really dangerous.’

The Insurrection Act is a seldom-used executive power first created in 1807. It’s designed to allow the president to deploy the military to quell rebellions and enforce federal laws.

When asked about Trump’s threats to invoke the power, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said, ‘I think he’s threatened in other places, other states, too.’

‘We’ll see what happens,’ Thune said. ‘Hopefully, local officials are working with federal law enforcement, ICE and other agencies, but also the local law enforcement officials being able to settle things down.’

Over the last two centuries, it has only been triggered 30 times, most recently by former President George H.W. Bush in the early 1990s to suppress growing unrest during the L.A. riots following the acquittal of four police officers charged with using excessive force against Rodney King.

Trump floated invoking the Insurrection Act in a post on Truth Social, where he warned, ‘If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of ICE,’ he would pull the trigger on the sparsely used power.

He later told reporters outside the White House that ‘if I needed it, I’d use it. I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, I’d use it. It’s very powerful.’

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE have been major talking points in Congress, particularly after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent earlier this month.

The latest DHS funding bill, which was tied into a four-bill $1.2 trillion spending package released Tuesday, includes several restrictions on funding for the agency, like detailed reports on operations, expenses, detention facilities and more, though it doesn’t slash its budget.

The U.S. Supreme Court left unresolved Tuesday a high-stakes challenge to President Donald Trump’s use of an emergency law to impose sweeping tariffs, prolonging uncertainty over a case closely watched by the White House and global markets.

The high court released three lower-profile opinions: Berk v. Choy, Ellingburg v. United States and Coney Island Auto Parts Unlimited, Inc. v. Burton.

All three rulings were unanimous, with separate concurring opinions filed in two of the cases.

In Berk v. Choy, the justices looked at whether a Delaware law requiring medical malpractice plaintiffs to file an ‘affidavit of merit’ applies in federal court. The Court unanimously said it does not, ruling that the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure control instead and override the state requirement.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson filed a concurring opinion.

In Coney Island Auto Parts v. Burton, the case centered on whether a company could challenge a judgment as void years later, or whether it waited too long to do so. The Court unanimously ruled that even claims arguing a judgment is void must be filed within a ‘reasonable time’ under federal rules.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed an opinion concurring in the judgment.

And in Ellingburg v. United States, the justices considered whether court-ordered monetary restitution under a federal law counts as criminal punishment for purposes of the Constitution’s Ex Post Facto Clause. The justices unanimously agreed that it does, meaning restitution is subject to the Constitution’s limits on retroactive criminal punishment.

Anticipation for the Supreme Court tariff ruling is building after Trump threatened on his Truth Social platform to impose a 10% tariff on eight European countries unless a deal is reached for what he called the ‘complete and total purchase of Greenland.’

Trump has defended the tariffs as a necessary use of emergency authority, while challengers argue the move exceeds presidential power and bypasses Congress.

The Court has not yet announced when it will next release opinions.

One year into President Donald Trump’s second term, the federal agency responsible for managing government buildings, contracts and technology says it has delivered tens of billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced on Tuesday that it has driven more than $60 billion in federal contract savings since January 2025, as part of the agency’s push to shrink the federal real estate footprint in the era of DOGE, cutting red tape for small businesses and rewriting decades-old procurement rules that critics long said fueled waste and inefficiency.

Over the past year, the agency disposed of 90 federal properties, cutting more than 3 million square feet from its portfolio and avoiding an estimated $415 million in repairs and operating costs. Property sales generated an additional $182 million in revenue, while renegotiated leases and portfolio reductions avoided another $730 million in future costs.

GSA officials say they have also identified 45 additional high-cost, underused properties for accelerated sale, moves that could save taxpayers more than $3 billion in repairs and operating expenses if completed.

GSA, established in 1949, manages more than 360 million rentable square feet nationwide.

‘Under President Trump’s leadership, we’re delivering on our promise to create a leaner, smarter, and more accountable government,’ GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst said in a statement to Fox News Digital. ‘GSA is right-sizing our federal real estate portfolio, streamlining operations, and using the buying power of the United States government to get the best deals in procurement for American taxpayers.’ 

The agency is also touting significant changes in the area of federal contracting.

GSA, working in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget, the Department of Defense and NASA, also completed a historic rewrite of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), a rulebook governing federal purchasing.

The rewrite cut roughly one-quarter of the FAR, eliminating 484 pages and 230,000 words, while removing more than 2,700 ‘shall’ and ‘must’ mandates that officials say slowed procurement and discouraged competition.

The agency also says it canceled more than $500 million in unnecessary or underperforming contracts and reduced the federal vehicle fleet by over 1,000 vehicles.

Cutting red tape for small businesses has also been an objective GSA says it has made headway on, including reducing the Federal Management Regulation by about 72% and streamlining the Federal Travel Regulation by roughly 50%, while eliminating 84 outdated policy bulletins from the Federal Register.

For small businesses specifically, officials say compliance burdens have been cut by 70%, and vendor onboarding, previously taking up to 30 days, has been reduced to same-day approval.

The regulatory changes are projected to save $900 million over the next decade, according to the agency.

The federal government has also moved to modernize the way payments are made and the way Americans access their federal services and the GSA highlighted the expanded use of Login.gov as part of a broader effort to combat improper federal payments, an issue the government estimates costs taxpayers roughly $200 billion each year. 

The agency says the system now blocks thousands of suspected fraudulent identity verification attempts daily and has upgraded major partner agencies to a higher level of identity assurance, including biometric facial matching, to better protect access to federal benefits and services.

GSA also pointed to expanded use of artificial intelligence and automation, which Fox News Digital has previously reported on, as part of its effort to modernize federal operations without expanding the size of government.

The agency highlighted its development of a new USAi platform to support federal AI testing and deployment, allowing agencies to evaluate and adopt emerging technologies while maintaining security and oversight.

In a press release, the agency voiced its belief that the first-year accomplishments as part of Trump’s ‘vision’ of streamlining government ‘sets the tone for a results-driven second term.’

‘The results speak for themselves,’ Forst said. 

Plans are being put together at President Donald Trump’s direction to hold a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, for the Gaza Board of Peace, Fox News confirmed on Tuesday.

Bloomberg was first to report the plans.

The Trump administration began sending invitations to countries over the weekend, asking them to become founding members of the so-called Board of Peace.

‘Dozens’ of countries have been invited to join the board, Fox News confirmed. The official invites went out Friday.

Trump extended invitations to leaders from Russia, Belarus, China, Ukraine, India, Canada, Argentina, Jordan, Egypt, Hungary and Vietnam, among others.

Some invited countries have raised concerns about the terms of the proposed Gaza peace board, as participation would come with a substantial financial commitment, according to Bloomberg. 

European allies are seeking to adjust the proposal and organize a joint response, including enlisting Arab nations to push for changes to the $1 billion permanent membership fee, the outlet reported.

When questioned on Tuesday about French President Emmanuel Macron seemingly signaling reluctance to accept the invitation, Trump said, ‘Did he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon. So, you know, that’s alright.’

‘What I’ll do is if they feel like hostile, I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes and he’ll join,’ Trump said. ‘But, he doesn’t have to join.’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also pushed back on the proposal after Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi were named as appointed members to a separate ‘Gaza Executive Board.’

Netanyahu’s office said the move was not coordinated with Israel and ‘runs contrary to its policy.’

The White House said on Friday that Trump will chair the Board of Peace and be joined by a group of senior political, diplomatic and business figures, including his son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and billionaire Marc Rowan, among others.

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) aircraft are headed to Pituffik Space Base, Greenland, for ‘long-planned’ activities, as President Donald Trump continues his controversial push for the U.S. to acquire the island.

The NORAD aircraft at Pituffik Space Base, along with aircraft operating from bases in the U.S. and Canada, will support the planned efforts, ‘building on the enduring defense cooperation between the United States and Canada, as well as the Kingdom of Denmark,’ NORAD said in a statement posted on X.

Multiple governments allegedly approved of the NORAD activities, as the command said in its statement that it coordinated with Denmark and that Greenland was ‘informed’ of its efforts.

‘This activity has been coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark, and all supporting forces operate with the requisite diplomatic clearances. The Government of Greenland is also informed of planned activities,’ NORAD said.

‘NORAD routinely conducts sustained, dispersed operations in the defense of North America, through one or all three NORAD regions (Alaska, Canada, and the continental U.S.),’ the command added.

Trump has said in recent weeks that the U.S. needs Greenland for national security reasons. The president claims that if the U.S. does not step in, China or Russia could use the Arctic territory to their advantage.

‘NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland.’ Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it. Now it is time, and it will be done!!!’ Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday.

Denmark and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies have condemned the Trump administration’s rhetoric about Greenland.

In recent days, several European nations have sent small numbers of military personnel to Greenland for exercises as a symbolic show of support for Danish sovereignty over the territory. Some countries have since withdrawn their troops.

On Monday, Denmark ramped up its military presence in Greenland and deployed extra troops to the Arctic territory.

Local Danish broadcaster TV 2 said the Danish Armed Forces confirmed a new contingent of troops, described as ‘a substantial contribution,’ were arriving at Greenland’s main international airport Monday night.

Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, head of Denmark’s Arctic Command, said about 100 Danish soldiers have already arrived in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, with others later deployed to Kangerlussuaq in western Greenland.

Despite the objections from allies, Trump administration officials have continued to argue that U.S. control of Greenland is necessary to protect national security interests in the Arctic.

On Saturday, Trump said the U.S. would impose 10% tariffs on multiple European countries unless Denmark agreed to the ‘complete and total purchase of Greenland,’ warning that global security and U.S. national defense were at stake. 

The president said that starting on Feb. 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands and Finland would be subjected to a 10% tariff. The tariff would then increase to 25% on June 1 and ‘will be due and payable until such time as a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.

While addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the tariff threat ‘a mistake, especially between long-standing allies,’ according to The Associated Press.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Bussey and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., asserted Monday in a post on X that President Donald Trump is ‘mentally ill’ and should be ‘immediately’ removed from office via the 25th Amendment.

‘The president of the United States is extremely mentally ill and it’s putting all of our lives at risk. The 25th Amendment exists for a reason — we need to invoke it immediately,’ she declared in the post.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Tuesday morning.

The congresswoman made the comment in response to a letter from President Donald Trump to Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

‘Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,’ Trump asserted in the message.

‘Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway?’ he continued, referring to Greenland. ‘There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you!’ Trump added.

The prime minister pushed back in a statement.

‘Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter. We also support that NATO in a responsible way is taking steps to strengthen security and stability in the Arctic. As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I have clearly explained, including to President Trump what is well known, the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian Government,’ Støre noted.

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., have also both called for the invocation of the 25th Amendment against Trump in light of the president’s message.

‘Donald Trump is unfit to lead and clearly out of control. Invoke the 25th Amendment,’ Kamlager-Dove asserted in a post on X. A note on the X account notes that it is ‘maintained by federal staff.’

Fox News’ Madeleine Rivera contributed to this report

President Donald Trump is garnering praise from a prominent faith leader who says the White House is reinforcing the religious revival growing across America as churches report growing attendance and younger parishioners.

‘There’s causality from the culture into politics and from politics that influences the culture, and I think we’re seeing that duality play out,’ JP De Gance, founder and president of Communio, a non-profit ministry that trains churches on how to evangelize, told Fox News Digital. ‘Religious non-affiliation had been growing for about 40 years, and it’s flatlined over the last four years. That’s a real change in trends.’

De Gance said that Communio had heard anecdotally that churches across the country have seen major increases in new member classes. 

In the case of Texas A&M, De Gance said there were currently 420 students enrolled in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) class, with approximately 100 or more adult baptisms expected, something he said was ‘really unusual.’ OCIA classes are meant for adults looking to enter the Catholic Church. Regarding Protestant denominations, Communio is seeing an ‘increase in small and intimate church settings,’ De Gance said.

The faith leader said that the White House has not only been reacting to a growing interest in faith, but is also embracing it more publicly than prior administrations. He also stated that he sees a ‘huge difference’ in the Trump administration’s approach to faith versus that of the Biden administration.

‘When you look at the Biden administration, his final Easter celebration had a proclamation of ‘Transgender Day’ instead of an Easter proclamation,’ De Gance noted, referring to former President Joe Biden’s acknowledgment of Transgender Day of Visibility. In 2024, Easter Sunday fell on the same day.

‘I think you had a last administration that was seen by a lot of people of faith as being actively hostile to faith, and now I think a view that there’s an openness and an interest by the current administration to more embrace faith in their work and in their actions,’ De Gance added.

The Trump administration has not been quiet about faith and even created an entity to represent faith-based communities.

In February 2025, Trump signed an executive order establishing the White House Faith Office, which was meant to ’empower faith-based entities, community organizations, and houses of worship to better serve families and communities,’ according to the White House. The office is led by senior advisor Paula White and faith director Jenny Korn.

For Holy Week, Trump issued a proclamation on behalf of himself and first lady Melania Trump that put faith front and center.

‘This Holy Week, Melania and I join in prayer with Christians celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ — the living Son of God who conquered death, freed us from sin, and unlocked the gates of Heaven for all of humanity,’ the proclamation read. ‘We pray that America will remain a beacon of faith, hope, and freedom for the entire world, and we pray to achieve a future that reflects the truth, beauty, and goodness of Christ’s eternal kingdom in Heaven.’

Trump also issued a faith-filled message for Christmas, saying that he and the first lady ‘send our warmest wishes to all Americans as we share in the joy of Christmas Day and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.’ The president included a brief retelling of the Christmas story and prayers for ‘an outpouring of God’s abiding love, divine mercy, and everlasting peace upon our country and the entire world.’

The Trump administration has also invoked faith in times of tragedy, from the flooding at Camp Mystic in Texas to the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minnesota and the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

‘These are times where a president can be a comforter in chief, and I think it’s appropriate for the president, members of the administration to not compartmentalize and shelve their faith in these moments,’ De Gance said. ‘I think when there are times of great suffering, I think that it’s an opportunity to also embrace our faith.’

As Trump enters the second year of his second term and America approaches its 250th birthday, De Gance says many are looking to see the administration continue to reaffirm the role that religion plays in American life.

‘I think American Christians would love to see the president, the White House continue, or find ways to embrace the core pillars that made this country so excellent on the world stage,’ De Gance told Fox News Digital. ‘In this 250th anniversary, I think it’s a time where we can reflect and see that the American founding was grounded in sort of core cultural pillars that allowed self-governance to exist.’

De Gance emphasized the importance of strong families and Americans maintaining connections to faith communities, saying Christianity served as a ‘core bedrock’ at the nation’s founding.

Fox News Digital spoke to Communio’s founder before Sunday’s incident at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., made headlines over the weekend. Anti-ICE agitators disrupted a worship service, chanting slogans including ‘ICE Out’ and ‘Justice for Renee Good,’ a reference to the woman shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis earlier this month.

The Trump administration responded swiftly, with the Justice Department launching an investigation into potential violations of federal law. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that she spoke to the pastor of the church and affirmed that ‘attacks against law enforcement and the intimidation of Christians are being met with the full force of federal law.’

President Donald Trump is expected to head to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum this week — on the heels of threatening tariffs against NATO members as he seeks to acquire Greenland, a Danish territory. 

The Davos World Economic Forum is an annual summit bringing world leaders together to discuss global issues related to politics, business and society. 

Other world leaders who are expected to attend include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. 

Trump is expected to deliver a special address Wednesday, per the World Economic Forum’s program. But the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding Trump’s schedule in Switzerland. 

Trump previously attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, twice during his first term, according to the State Department’s records. 

Trump is poised to enter the forum in the middle of heightened tensions between the U.S. and European allies. After a group of NATO members sent troops to Greenland amid Trump’s latest efforts to acquire the island, Trump announced Saturday that those countries would be subjected to a 10% tariff on all goods starting Feb. 1. 

That number would climb to 25% in June, until a deal is reached for Trump to secure Greenland, according to Trump. 

While the Danish territory claims it is seeking independence from Copenhagen, Denmark, and doesn’t want to join the U.S., Trump has regularly expressed a desire to acquire Greenland for the U.S. as Russian and Chinese presence grows in the Arctic since his first administration.

Trump has revived his rhetoric toward Greenland in recent weeks, claiming that the region is critical for national security purposes, including the creation of a Golden Dome project, a defense shield initiative for the U.S. similar to the one Israel has safeguarding itself.

Likewise, Trump said in text messages to Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Sunday that Norway released Monday that he’s not inclined to only think of peace, after the Norwegian Nobel Committee did not award him with the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Instead, the committee awarded the prize to Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado. 

‘Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,’ Trump said in the text messages.

‘Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also,’ Trump said. 

Meanwhile, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland said in a joint statement Sunday that the tariff threats ‘undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.’

Likewise, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Sunday that he and Trump spoke over the weekend, and would see each other in Switzerland.

‘We will continue working on this, and I look forward to seeing him in Davos later this week,’ Rutte said in a post on social media Sunday. 

Meanwhile, Trump has refused to back down from his aspirations to acquire Greenland following his tariff threat, and issued another stern warning to Denmark. 

‘NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland.’ Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it. Now it is time, and it will be done!!!’ Trump said in a social media post late Sunday.

Greenland has a trove of natural resources, including oil and natural gas. Meanwhile, both Russia and China have bolstered their presence in the region in recent years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed Britain’s Parliament on Tuesday, telling them that he had come to ‘calm the waters,’ as tensions between Washington and its European allies have intensified in recent weeks over President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland.

Johnson’s address — the first ever delivered by a sitting U.S. House speaker to the British Parliament — came on the eve of the United States’ 250th anniversary and against a backdrop of strain in transatlantic relations, including Trump’s sharp criticism of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hours earlier over a deal involving the Chagos Islands.

‘I spoke to President Trump at length yesterday, and I told him that I really felt that my mission here today was to encourage our friends and help to calm the waters, so to speak,’ Johnson said. 

Johnson emphasized that despite current disagreements, the U.S. and UK remain bound by a durable alliance built on shared history, values and security interests.

‘We’ve always been able to work through our differences calmly as friends. We will continue to do that,’ he said. ‘I want to assure you this morning that that is still the case.’

The speaker said his visit had taken on new urgency as geopolitical tensions escalated in recent days. He described his role as reinforcing stability among allies while signaling resolve to adversaries.

Johnson tied his remarks to the approaching 250th anniversary of American independence, framing the milestone not simply as a celebration, but as a moment of reflection and recommitment — particularly as Western nations confront external threats and internal divisions.

He warned that U.S. adversaries are increasingly challenging Western democracies through ‘increasingly sophisticated forms of subversion.’ 

‘We see China, Russia and Iran grow more aggressive and emboldened as they intensify their efforts to exert economic, political, and military influence around the world,’ Johnson said. ‘We see a callous disregard for basic human rights, new provocations, and even the theft of intellectual property on a scale like we have never seen before.’

Johnson said Trump is focused on those threats, particularly in strategically sensitive regions such as the Arctic.

‘Clearly, President Trump is taking seriously the modern and dynamic threats that China and Russia pose to our global security, and especially and in focus the last few days as it relates to the Arctic,’ he said.

While acknowledging room for debate among allies, Johnson stressed that the dangers posed by rival powers must be confronted collectively.

‘While we can have thoughtful debate among our friends about how best to counter these threats, we all certainly agree they must be countered,’ he said.

Speaker Johnson praised Britain and other allies for recent cooperation, including enforcement of sanctions. He clarified that Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda does not mean ‘America alone.’ 

He praised NATO members for increasing defense spending and highlighted cooperation through alliances such as AUKUS, calling them evidence that national interests and collective security can coexist.

‘Whether it’s NATO’s nations historic commitment to raise their investment in defense… or the AUKUS alliance deepening its cooperation in submarines and undersea defense, our partnership is proving that nations can prioritize their individual interests responsibly,’ he said.

Johnson invoked the shared heritage of the U.S. and UK, warning that military strength and economic power are meaningless without confidence in a shared set of values.

‘Strong and lethal militaries matter,’ he said. ‘Robust and thriving economies matter, but they mean little if we forget what we’re fighting for.’