Denmark sets up 'night watch' – not for White Walkers, but for Trump

Denmark has created a special "night watch" team at its foreign ministry – a name that intentionally echoes the Night's Watch from Game of Thrones, though this unit is not guarding against wildlings or White Walkers.

Instead, its task is to monitor former US president Donald Trump's statements and activities while the Danish government is offline for the night, reports The Guardian.

Citing Politiken, The Guardian reports that the night watch begins work at 5pm local time and prepares a morning brief by 7am, summarising anything Trump said or did overnight.

The arrangement is understood to have been introduced after the diplomatic dispute last spring, when Trump suggested the US might take control of Greenland, sparking tensions between Copenhagen and Washington.

Politiken noted that the initiative reflects the wider adjustments Denmark's diplomatic service has had to make in response to the realities of Trump's second administration.

A source close to the foreign office told The Guardian that the Greenland episode and the time difference with the United States were "quite an important factor" behind creating the night watch.

Rather than having officials individually race to catch up on US news each morning, the ministry said the team is a coordinated effort to keep the government informed.

Jacob Kaarsbo, a former chief analyst at Denmark's defence intelligence agency, said the move illustrates how the long-held assumption that the US is Denmark's most reliable ally has faded.

"Alliances are built on common values and a common threat perception. Trump shares neither with us, and I would argue he doesn't share them with most Europeans," he said.