Former national security adviser John Bolton isn't mincing words about President Donald Trump's Greenland ambitions. On Tuesday, he warned that most Americans don't fully understand what's at stake, and the potential cost is staggering: the NATO alliance itself.

A Deal Nobody Wants

Bolton laid out the problem in stark terms on X. "Trump has said the issue of the Arctic as a choice between Greenland and NATO. For the White House, it's a two-for-one: Take Greenland and lose NATO," he wrote. "I don't think Americans fully understand how much harm this would cause our national security."

He backed up his concern with a clip from his Monday CNN interview with Jim Sciutto, where he noted that "On a good day, Trump is indifferent to NATO." Bolton pointed out that Trump himself has framed this as a potential choice between acquiring Greenland and maintaining the NATO alliance, publicly stating as much within the past couple of weeks.

The real nightmare scenario? Bolton told Sciutto that any actual military action against Greenland would trigger a "political earthquake" in the United States, complete with growing revolt within Republican ranks.

The Arctic Obsession

Trump's position is straightforward: Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark (which happens to be a NATO ally), represents a critical security asset in countering Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic. The White House confirmed this month it's exploring options to acquire the island, "including potential use of the US military," though officials insist diplomacy remains the preferred approach.

Tariffs as Leverage

Trump isn't just talking. He's threatened escalating tariffs beginning Feb. 1 against Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Britain, and Norway until Washington gets permission to buy the island and its roughly 57,000 residents. European leaders are not amused, and neither are some Republicans at home.

House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) put it bluntly: invading Greenland would constitute "war with NATO itself." Other GOP members have labeled the tariff strategy "bad for America" and a gift to US adversaries.

The timing couldn't be more awkward. Trump is heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos while EU leaders scramble to organize emergency discussions about countermeasures, including deploying a new "anti-coercion" tool that could limit American access to European markets.