Donald Trump, Not Unchained
His reversal on Greenland shows the limits of his power.
By The Editorial Board
Jan. 22, 2026 5:50 pm ET
A funny thing happened this week that you wouldn’t think possible from reading the common narrative of President Trump as a Frankenstein’s monster unchained to do whatever he wants: He backed down from his demands to own Greenland. And he did so after financial markets, European allies and the U.S. Congress raised objections. The “authoritarian” Trump narrative was wrong again.
This isn’t to dismiss Mr. Trump’s often wild demands and threats. They have consequences in lost trust among allies and doubts about American reliability. These costs are hard to quantify, but they are real and may show up in a future crisis.
But the reality is also that, despite his over-the-top rhetoric, Mr. Trump can’t get away with whatever he likes. He is constrained by democratic institutions in the U.S., the necessity of maintaining alliances abroad, and public opinion as measured by polls and investors.
The Greenland saga is a telling example. On Saturday Mr. Trump issued his demand to own the icy island and he vowed to impose tariffs on Europe to compel a sale. Opposition built over the holiday weekend, and financial markets cast a decidedly negative vote on the tariffs and threats on Tuesday.
Members of Congress spoke against the use of military force in Greenland, with even GOP leaders expressing doubts. One Senator told us that, if Mr. Trump had gone ahead, Congress would have voted to cut off funds for an invasion, and with veto-proof majorities. European leaders also made clear that taking Greenland by force, military or otherwise, would break the NATO alliance.
And what do you know? On Wednesday in Davos, Mr. Trump issued his familiar criticisms of Europe’s weakness, many of which are accurate. But he disavowed the use of force. And by the end of the day he had canceled the tariffs and claimed victory over what he called a “framework” deal over Greenland that he said will make everyone happy.
The details have to be negotiated, and things could still blow up. But the news is that Mr. Trump claimed victory on terms that appear to be much less than he had demanded on the weekend and were probably achievable without the drama and bluster. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this was Mr. Trump’s plan all along, but if you believe that, you probably believe he planned to back down on his Liberation Day tariffs too.
The story here isn’t TACO—that Trump always chickens out, in the Wall Street gibe. It’s that Mr. Trump isn’t all powerful. As a democratic leader in a constitutional republic, he must cope with checks and balances.
It’s true that on foreign affairs a U.S. President has more running room. He can use military force without the approval of Congress or the courts. He can try to appease dictators, as Barack Obama and Joe Biden did. Presidents can do a lot of unilateral damage.
But Mr. Trump also has to be mindful of the results and the reaction from a variety of constituencies at home and abroad. The collapse of NATO on his watch would be a permanent stain on his presidential legacy. So would a Russian victory in Ukraine.
Ah, but what about ICE raids in homes against non-criminal migrants, unilateral tariffs, and lawfare against political opponents? All of these are unwise and harmful to individuals even when they are legal. But when they exceed his legal power, the courts are a check.
This week a majority of the Supreme Court seems poised to block his firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Lindsey Halligan, his choice for U.S. Attorney who issued indictments against Mr. Trump’s enemies, was forced to step down after a judge appointed by Mr. Trump accused her of conducting an illegal “charade” to stay in the job.
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It’s hard to know what Mr. Trump might do next, which feeds public anxiety. But as his popularity ebbs, so does his political capital. His approval rating has sunk, his mass deportations are seen as excessive, tariffs are unpopular, and even GOP voters disliked his Greenland demands. Democrats took November’s races in Virginia and New Jersey in a rout. The GOP House majority is in peril, and the Senate is competitive. Mr. Trump’s attempts to gerrymander a safer House majority have backfired as Democrats have done the same.
The ultimate check on power is an election, and on that score Mr. Trump’s bull-dozing governance may be building the opposition that costs his party its majority in November.
wsj.com
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