Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Jan 20: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday triggered a fresh global controversy after sharing AI-generated images on his Truth Social platform that depicted Canada, Greenland and Venezuela as part of the United States.
In one image, Trump was seen sitting in a meeting with several European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with a map of the US in the background showing the three regions as US territories. The post came amid his escalating war of words with European allies over his renewed push to take over Greenland.
Minutes later, Trump shared another AI-generated image showing him planting the US flag in Greenland alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the caption “Greenland US Territory Est 2026”.
Trump’s post also revived memories of his earlier remarks offering to make Canada the 51st state of the US, a proposal firmly rejected by Ottawa and one that later escalated into a bitter trade dispute between the two neighbours.
The map further appeared to lay claim to Venezuela, following recent statements by Trump asserting that the US would “run” the oil-rich nation after American special forces reportedly captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife earlier this month. While Trump has spoken about controlling Venezuela’s oil resources before, this marks the first time he has made such an explicit territorial claim.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the mineral-rich Arctic island of Greenland is vital for US “national security”, despite existing US military presence and security agreements with Denmark, which governs the territory. His remarks intensified after he claimed he was denied a Nobel Peace Prize, saying he no longer felt obliged to think “purely of peace”.
The AI-generated posts have raised alarm in allied capitals, with Trump also threatening heavy tariffs on European nations opposing his Greenland ambitions. While the images are symbolic and not official policy documents, they have added to growing diplomatic unease over Trump’s increasingly provocative rhetoric.