President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Wednesday that he is prepared to pull every American soldier out of Europe if NATO allies continue to resist his push for U.S. control of Greenland and refuse to back Washington's military campaign in Iran.

The remarks, delivered as Trump flew home from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, marked his sharpest public linkage yet between European troop commitments and two of his top foreign-policy priorities. He had already raised the prospect of withdrawals on Tuesday, but Wednesday's comments went further, tying continued U.S. defense spending on the continent to European cooperation on both the Arctic and the Middle East.

"I haven't made a final determination," Trump said. "A lot's going to depend on Greenland, and a lot, lot, I think [we can] make a very good deal in Greenland, and if we don't, maybe I will. And a lot's dependent on Iran."

The case Trump laid out

Trump framed the threat in blunt transactional terms. The United States, he argued, spends hundreds of billions of dollars defending Europe, yet when Washington needed allied support for its Iran operations, key partners said no before he even asked.

"We weren't treated well because we did something in Iran. We don't need anybody's help. I didn't even want their help. But before I asked, they said they wouldn't be there. Why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars if they're not there for us? We've always been there for them."

Spain and Italy drew particular criticism. Both countries refused to grant the Pentagon unlimited access to their air bases and airspace to support military operations against Iran. Spain also initially balked at NATO's requirement that member nations spend at least 5% of their gross domestic product on defense.

By Wednesday morning, Trump singled out Spain with what the Washington Examiner described as "particular ire." But by evening, his tone shifted. He told reporters Spain had reversed course.

"Spain, they came back all the way today. They honored the request for lots of payment, and if they didn't, we wouldn't even talk to them. They were very bad. They behaved very badly, in my opinion. But there was great unity in that room today."

He added simply: "Spain was very generous today."

Greenland and the Arctic standoff

The Greenland question has been a persistent flashpoint between Washington and its European allies. Trump has argued that Danish authorities lack sufficient power to protect the strategically important Arctic territory from Chinese or Russian encroachment, a position that has drawn intense criticism from Copenhagen.

At the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump renewed that argument publicly. He declared that Greenland "should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark," a statement that kept the dispute at the center of summit discussions.

The friction is not new. Earlier this year, several European nations, including France, Germany, the UK, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, deployed small troop contingents to Greenland as part of what was characterized as a NATO "reconnaissance" or "scoping" mission. The New York Post reported that the poorly communicated deployment enraged Trump, who interpreted it as a hostile gesture. That episode led to threatened tariffs of 10% to 25% on goods from participating nations.

One European government adviser told the Times of London at the time: "I couldn't understand the PR part of the deployment. That does not at all excuse Trump. But I think it enabled some in his vicinity to escalate the issue."

Those tariffs were ultimately dropped after Trump met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. National Review reported that Trump announced a "framework" deal on Greenland and the broader Arctic region, ruling out the use of military force while issuing a pointed warning to European leaders: "You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember."

Greenland's own leadership has not budged. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated flatly: "Greenland is not for sale. Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States." Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said after White House talks that "it remains clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland," as Breitbart reported.

Troops already leaving Europe

Trump's threat does not exist in a vacuum. The United States has already pulled back its military presence in Germany and Poland, though the Washington Examiner did not specify troop numbers or unit types involved. The withdrawals signal that the administration views European defense commitments as a live policy lever, not just rhetoric.

The broader reshaping of U.S. military leadership in Europe has been visible in other ways. Gen. Donahue recently stepped down as the top Army commander in Europe after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed him, a move that underscored the administration's willingness to shake up the command structure on the continent.

Trump's Wednesday remarks made clear he sees the drawdowns as leverage. When pressed on whether further withdrawals were coming, he kept the door open.

"We're going to see. I was very disappointed with NATO."

Iran and the question of allied support

The Iran dimension adds a second pressure point. Trump expressed frustration that European allies who had received American help, including assistance in Ukraine's war against Russia, declined to reciprocate when Washington launched military operations against Tehran.

"I mean, they want to help now. It's a little late. Essentially, there's not that much fighting to be done, but some will depend on Iran. When they had a chance, an opportunity to help, they chose not to, so. But we're sort of forgetting about that. And now they want to help. They all want to go in."

He added: "But we don't really need help. It's little things. But we don't really need help."

The dynamic mirrors Trump's broader posture toward Congress on war powers. He recently confronted Senate Republicans in a heated Capitol meeting over an Iran war powers vote, making clear he views challenges to his military authority, from allies abroad or lawmakers at home, with equal displeasure.

A summit of contradictions

For all the combative language, Trump also described the Ankara summit in warm terms. He called it "quite nice" and said there was "tremendous unity and togetherness" among leaders. The two framings, sharp threats aboard Air Force One and praise for the summit room, sat side by side in his remarks without any apparent tension.

That pattern is familiar. Trump has consistently paired confrontational demands with expressions of goodwill, using the contrast itself as a negotiating tool. His comments about Spain followed exactly that arc: harsh criticism in the morning, praise by evening, once Madrid moved toward his position.

The approach extends to his dealings with Turkey. At the same summit, Trump announced the lifting of CAATSA sanctions on Ankara and signaled openness to selling F-35 fighter jets to President Erdogan, a significant concession that had faced opposition from Israel and some U.S. lawmakers.

Trump's willingness to assert dominance in key relationships has been a defining feature of his foreign policy. His recent message to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, that Netanyahu "knows who the boss is", reflected the same instinct now being directed at European capitals.

What remains unanswered

Several critical questions hang over Trump's threat. No formal executive action on troop withdrawals has been announced. Trump himself said he has not made a "final determination." The specific terms Spain agreed to on Wednesday, what Trump called "the request for lots of payment", remain undefined. And the current phase of U.S. military operations in Iran, which Trump described as nearly concluded, has not been detailed publicly.

The administration's broader posture toward European defense, including Hegseth's management of military deployments and personnel decisions, suggests the troop withdrawal threat is part of a coordinated strategy rather than an off-the-cuff remark.

Trump also offered a broader warning to the continent that went beyond military matters.

"With all the money we spend to help them with Russia... we don't have to spend any money. We can remove all of our soldiers out of Europe, because, as you probably noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago, lot different, much different, much different, and they better be careful with immigration and energy. If they're not careful with those two things, you're not going to have a Europe anymore."

That final line, "you're not going to have a Europe anymore", was not about tanks or treaties. It was about the internal choices European governments have made on open borders and energy dependence. And it landed as a warning from a president who has already started moving soldiers home.

For decades, American taxpayers have funded Europe's defense while European leaders lectured Washington about values. Trump is now presenting the bill. Whether Europe pays it, or watches the last U.S. troops leave, may depend on how seriously its leaders take a president who has shown, again and again, that he means what he says.