US President Donald Trump on Tuesday shared an altered image showing a map of the United States expanded to include large parts of North and South America, as well as Greenland and Venezuela, with Trump displaying the map from the Oval Office as European leaders looked on.
In the manipulated image posted on his @realDonaldTrump account on X, Trump is shown in the Oval Office with international leaders looking at a map overlaid with the American flag across those territories, suggesting an expansion of US control.
The map image was posted without official explanation and has been identified as an edited version of an earlier genuine photograph showing a meeting with European officials.
Original photo
In August 2025, Trump hosted a meeting in the Oval Office with NATO and European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In the original image, leaders were gathered around a map of Ukraine.
In another image shared on his Truth Social platform, Trump is depicted placing the American flag on Greenland’s soil, with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio standing in a snowy Arctic landscape beside a sign reading, “GREENLAND – U.S. TERRITORY EST. 2026.”
Trump accompanied the posts with comments asserting Greenland’s strategic importance and saying there was “no going back” on the issue.
His broader push to acquire Greenland — an autonomous territory of Denmark — has already strained relations with NATO allies.
The images have drawn sharp reactions from governments and observers.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the flag image “disrespectful” and stressed that dialogue should occur through proper diplomatic channels, not on social media.
Nielsen reiterated that Greenland remains part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and said his government is preparing for all possibilities amid the controversy.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s government urged citizens to share the country’s official map in a symbolic online campaign after Trump’s post suggested US control over Venezuelan territory — part of a broader effort by Caracas to defend its territorial integrity.
Analysts say the visuals — especially given their AI elements — blur the line between symbolic political messaging and actual foreign policy statements, complicating diplomatic relations at a time when global powers are already at odds over trade, security and military deployments.
Critics argue the imagery may undermine the post-war rules-based international order, while supporters say it underlines Trump’s strategic priorities.
Denmark, the European Union and other allied governments have insisted Greenland’s status will not change without agreement and warned that any attempt to seize or annex territory would have “far-reaching consequences,” echoing calls for peaceful negotiation and respect for sovereignty.
