'Crazy grandpa is back': Amy Siskind mocks Trump's renewed calls for Greenland

President Donald Trump on Tuesday renewed his calls for the U.S. to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. The stance that previously caused tensions between Washington and Copenhagen, both founding members of NATO, drew backlash in the international community after Trump threatened to pull troops out of Europe. Back home, American activist and writer Amy Sisking mocked the remarks, saying, "crazy grandpa [Trump]" was back to his threats instead of focusing on ending the Iran war, which witnessed renewed fighting. 

"Greenland doesn't help Denmark," he told reporters during a marathon press conference at the summit. "Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States, and it's surrounded by China's ships and Russian ships. And that's not going to happen," he added. Trump's assertions that he must acquire or control Greenland have long strained relations between the two NATO members ​and broader U.S. ties with Europe. While the issue moved to a diplomatic ​track, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating that the talks will proceed on a monthly basis, the recent comments threaten the discussions. 

Trump also admitted that the issue ⁠of taking control of Greenland had harmed U.S. ties with NATO, but he wasn't willing to back down. "That's what hurt my relationship with NATO, because Greenland doesn't help Denmark. ​Denmark doesn't spend money to really help Greenland." He then went on to threaten to pull troops out of Europe over the long-standing allegations of non-white immigrants flooding the continent. "We could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe because, as you've probably noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago. And they better be careful with immigration and energy," Trump said, adding that if they're not careful, "you're not going to have a Europe anymore."

Sharing a clip of his remarks on X, Siskind wrote: "Crazy grandpa is back to his threats to take over Greenland. How's about finishing your endless war in Iran?"

Siskind's comments come after the U.S. Central Command announced that it had completed strikes against Iran on Tuesday in retaliation for the attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. In an X post, Centcom said that the U.S. forces successfully hit over 80 targets, including air defense systems, anti-ship missile capabilities, command and control networks, along with over 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ small boats to degrade Iran's ability to attack international commerce. As of yet, it is unclear if Tehran has retaliated, but Bahrain's interior ministry has urged civilians to head to the "nearest safe place," as per CNBC. 

The fresh exchange of strikes threatens to reignite conflict in the region, sparking fears that the Strait of Hormuz, the key crude oil shipping lane, could be shut down again. The markets reacted to the development with oil prices surging dramatically, stoking fears of continued inflation around the globe. The strikes also threaten the interim agreement signed between Tehran and Washington, in which both sides agreed to hold progressive talks to end the war.