BREAKING: Trump Allegedly Orders Military to Plan Greenland Invasion
Generals allegedly call the plan "crazy and illegal" and compare managing Trump to "dealing with a five-year-old"
While others stenograph, grift, or chase the next distraction—this is the news that matters and how it’s connected.
Before we get to the story, let’s talk about who’s reporting it.
This comes from The Mail on Sunday—a British tabloid. But reporters Glen Owen and Dan Hodges have a track record: they broke the Liz Truss phone hack, the Lord Frost resignation, and the Chris Pincher scandal that helped bring down Boris Johnson.123 They have sources in Whitehall. When they report something this specific, it deserves attention—even if it needs verification.
The Claim
According to The Mail on Sunday, Donald Trump has ordered the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) to draw up plans for the invasion of Greenland.4
This is not a vague threat. This is not “military options on the table.” This is an alleged direct order to America’s elite special forces to prepare for military action against a NATO ally.
The Details
The report claims:
The order came from Trump directly to JSOC, America’s elite special operations command
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are resisting on the grounds that it would be illegal and unsupported by Congress
Stephen Miller and policy “hawks” are pushing for quick action, emboldened by the Venezuela operation that captured Maduro
Generals are trying to “distract” Trump with other operations—intercepting Russian ghost ships, potential strikes on Iran—to divert him from Greenland
A diplomatic source told the paper: “The generals think Trump’s Greenland plan is crazy and illegal. So they are trying to deflect him with other major military operations. They say it’s like dealing with a five-year-old.”
Why This Would Matter
If this report is accurate, several things follow:
The military is actively resisting an illegal order. The Joint Chiefs refusing to plan an invasion of a NATO ally—on the grounds that it’s illegal—is a constitutional guardrail functioning as designed. For now.
Stephen Miller is driving foreign policy. The report names Trump’s political adviser as the leader of the hawks pushing for invasion. Not the Secretary of State. Not the Secretary of Defense. A political operative.
Venezuela was a proof of concept. The report explicitly connects the Greenland push to the “success” of the Maduro capture. One illegal military operation begets another.
NATO destruction may be the point. According to diplomatic cables cited in the report, European officials believe occupying Greenland could be a deliberate strategy to force Europe to abandon NATO—since Congress won’t let Trump withdraw directly.
What We Don’t Know
This is a single-source story from a British tabloid. We don’t have:
Confirmation from American outlets
On-the-record sources
White House response to the specific JSOC claim
Pentagon response
The broader context—Trump threatening to take Greenland “the hard way,” the White House confirming military options are “on the table”—has been widely reported by CNN, CNBC, and others. But the specific claim that Trump ordered JSOC to prepare invasion plans comes only from Owen and Hodges.
We’re watching for confirmation. If American outlets verify this, it’s the biggest story of the year. If they don’t, we’ll update accordingly.
What IS Verified
Even without the JSOC claim, here’s what we know from multiple sources:
Trump said he’ll take Greenland “the hard way” if necessary5
White House Press Secretary confirmed military option “always on the table”6
Former top officials wrote memo to White House opposing invasion7
Republicans in Congress pushing back on military threats8
Greenland’s party leaders: “We don’t want to be Americans” (CNN)⁵
Denmark announced $13.8 billion rearmament of Greenland (CNBC)⁶
EU reportedly preparing sanctions on US tech giants if invasion proceeds (Sunday Telegraph, per multiple reports)
The threat is real. The resistance is real. The JSOC order—if confirmed—would be the smoking gun.
There’s more below, but first: If work like this—tracking breaking stories, verifying sources, connecting dots others miss—feels worth having in the world, please consider supporting The American Manifesto. Paid subscriptions make it possible to stay on top of fast-moving crises.
The Pattern
We’ve been mapping this administration against the fascism syndrome—ten indicators that a democracy is backsliding into fascism. If this report is accurate:
Aggression as virtue: Ordering invasion plans against a NATO ally. Diplomacy rejected in favor of threats. “The hard way.”
Cult of the leader: Generals allegedly comparing the President to “a five-year-old” they have to distract with other military operations to keep him from destroying alliances.
Capture of the state and elimination of accountability: Joint Chiefs calling it “illegal”—and being overruled by political operatives like Stephen Miller.
“Like dealing with a five-year-old.”
That’s how America’s generals allegedly describe managing their Commander in Chief. If you want to understand how we got here—and what comes next—start here:
The Press Awards, “Glen Owen - Finalist“, The Press Awards, 2023.
Recognition of Glen Owen’s reporting including the Liz Truss phone hack story, which “made headlines around the world” after Owen obtained the story from a trusted Whitehall source and corroborated it with a senior civil servant.
Wikipedia, “Glen Owen“, Wikipedia.
Documents Owen’s exclusive on Lord Frost’s resignation from Boris Johnson’s government, a story that “lit the fuse for the eventual collapse of Johnson’s administration.”
The Press Awards, “Dan Hodges - Finalist“, The Press Awards, 2023.
Recognition of Hodges’ Chris Pincher scoop revealing Boris Johnson had long known about the MP’s behavior. The story was “cited in the Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions” and described as one of “three stories that changed the course of history.”
Glen Owen and Dan Hodges, “Donald Trump ‘orders army chiefs to draw up plan to invade Greenland’“, The Mail on Sunday, January 10, 2026.
Exclusive report claiming Trump ordered JSOC to prepare Greenland invasion plans. Cites diplomatic sources describing generals as calling the plan “crazy and illegal” and comparing managing Trump to “dealing with a five-year-old.” Documents military resistance and Stephen Miller’s role in pushing for action.
CNN, “US will take Greenland the ‘hard way’ if it can’t do it the ‘easy way,’ Trump says“, CNN, January 10, 2026.
Trump told reporters he would take Greenland “the hard way” if necessary and act “whether they like it or not.” Greenland’s party leaders responded: “We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danes, we want to be Greenlanders.”
Chloe Taylor, “Trump is desperate to take Greenland. Can NATO defend itself — and is it willing to?“, CNBC, January 9, 2026.
Analysis of NATO’s ability to resist US action on Greenland. Documents White House confirmation that military option remains “on the table” and Denmark’s announcement of $13.8 billion rearmament. Experts assess European forces unlikely to fire on American troops.
Axios, “Former top officials write to White House opposing Greenland invasion“, Axios, January 9, 2026.
Reports that former top officials sent memo to VP Vance, Secretary of State Rubio, and members of Congress urging pushback against military action on Greenland.
Noah Robertson, “Republicans push back on White House military threat toward Greenland“, Washington Post, January 8, 2026.
Documents Republican lawmakers downplaying or denouncing the administration’s military threats against Greenland, with some calling it a “senseless attack on a longtime U.S. ally.”
If true, this is outrageously illegal—and an impeachable offense.
Nice reporting. Naming sources, not just repeating. Planning update. And not crowing about your scoop. I really appreciate the lack of drama. Thank you for informing and lets hope the military leaders hold strong. I believe they will.