An avalanche of images fills the web in the conflict of intent between Trump and Greenland (and beyond). A river full of idiocy fed to artificial intelligence and memes and reels and vitriolic responses, which no one is in charge of here.
You have already accustomed us, MR Ciuffo, to posts and videos created ad hoc to praise its omnipotence, launch it to the globe, so that every corner of the earth reached by a connection has the opportunity to see what it is made of. No one stops Trump 2.0 and inevitably changes the narrative of history.
From the Pope to Superman via a milkman who promotes the use of whole milk, the tycoon and his entourage – in just a year – have become quite familiar with filling social media with similar stuff. Suffice it to say that Truth’s followers went from just over 8 million, close to the settlement on January 20, 2025, to 11,502,345 after just one year.
And the mass of AI messages continues.
Last is the image of the European leaders, including our Meloni, gathered in the Oval Office with Donald Trump, sitting behind the “resolute desk” and a very small detail: in the background of the room a geographical map of the States also includes “his new” territories, Greenland, Canada and Venezuela covered by the US flag.
That is followed by an even more disturbing one in which Trump is portrayed hoisting a Stars and Stripes flag on the territory next to Vice President Jd Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a sign planted in the ground that reads “Greenland, US territory from 2026”.
And be careful, it doesn’t end here: all the posts are accompanied by a series of statements on the need for the United States to control the largest island in the world. All this just a few hours after his arrival at the Davos Economic Forum.
The reactions
But fortunately the responses on social media were not long in coming, as were the ironic and satirical reactions from many users, including Danes and anti-Trump supporters.
These days, a video is circulating – again generated with artificial intelligence – in which arctic animals, polar bears, walruses, penguins, sled dogs and orcas, join humans to “defend Greenland”, as well as that of a bear chasing yellow tuft:
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In Denmark and Greenland, protests Hands off Greenland they have adopted satirical slogans and symbols that also circulate online: red caps with the words “Make America Go Away” — an ironic play on Trump’s famous slogan MAGA — were sold and shared online, becoming a widespread symbol also on the internet.
In response to US rhetoric, a satirical online petition also circulated in recent months in which Danish citizens proposed purchasing California from the United States with a parodic slogan (for example “Måke Califørnia Great Ægain”), which collected hundreds of thousands of signatures precisely as an ironic form of protest:
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What does all this mean?
These are all examples that indicate that while official narratives are dominated by AI images and memes promoted by the Trump clique, on the other hand the population – including Danes and Greenlanders – is also attempting to use satire, memes, ironic videos and parodic symbols on social media as a form of dissent.
In practice? In today’s hyper-connected world, memes are not random, but tools of cultural and political mobilization and digital irony becomes a way to ridicule messages perceived as aggressive and colonialist.
In short, the battle is no longer played only in the halls of power, but also in the timelines. Social media have now become a true field of political confrontation, where artificial intelligence can be used to intimidate and manipulate, but also to dismantle, reveal and distance itself from power.
Memes, satire and irony are not light-heartedness: you don’t have to bother Aristophanes to understand that they have always been a form of cultural resistance. A way to remove the aura of invincibility from those who try to impose themselves with muscular images and dominant narratives. In an era in which propaganda increasingly passes for visual and viral content, responding with creativity, humor and collective intelligence becomes a political act. Because, probably, mocking power today could be one of the most effective ways to prevent it from becoming untouchable.
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