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Taking action inspired by fictional guards, Denmark's foreign ministry has initiated a nighttime monitoring unit—far from guarding against fantasy foes, but to monitor the US president as Copenhagen sleeps.

This night watch starts at 5pm in Denmark daily and concludes with a report compiled at 7am, which is then distributed across government departments and concerned agencies detailing what was said and developments that occurred.

The role is understood to have been established in the wake of the bilateral row between Copenhagen and the US over the Arctic island earlier this year, when the American leader suggested acquiring control of the resource-rich territory.

Observers note that this initiative is one of multiple examples of how Danish diplomacy and its government administration have had to adapt to the changed landscape of the second Trump administration.

An insider close to the foreign office stated, “It's accurate to say that the circumstances in the region and the time difference between Denmark and the United States were a significant reason prompting this arrangement during the spring.”

Instead of everybody having to immediately reach for their devices to stay informed on updates from the United States, the ministry said it had made a coordinated approach to stay updated on the president's actions.

Jacob Kaarsbo, a ex- senior analyst at the Danish defence intelligence agency, commented that this development showed, “as we have always known,” that the notion of the United States as Denmark’s primary partner was dead. “Partnerships are built on common values and a common threat perception,” he added. “Trump shares neither of those with us and it can be said he doesn't share it with most Europeans.”