Senior White House aides have resorted to jingling a set of car keys in front of Donald Trump’s face, in a desperate attempt to distract the President from his obsession with Greenland.

“Over here Donald. Look!” one staffer said, jingling her keys and making a car sound.

Witnesses say Trump initially responded positively, becoming transfixed on the keys and asking whether the keys were ‘for a very big car’. While he eventually started talking about taking over Greenland again, staffers say progress is being made.

“We’ve learned you don’t say ‘no’ outright. You acknowledge the feeling – ‘Yes, Greenland is very big’ – and then you redirect. ‘Wow, look at this helicopter,’” one staffer explained.

She said they were trying a range of tactics. “If the keys stop working, we’ve got bubbles, we’ve got stickers, we’ve got snacks. And we’ll play the game where we let the President ‘win’ imaginary negotiations against made-up opponents. If all that fails, we’ll try putting him down for a nap”.

International diplomats have welcomed the new approach, with one European official describing it as “the most sensible de-escalation strategy so far”.

In a later update, staffers reported that Trump was no longer asking about Greenland, and had instead become intensely focused on whether his name could fit across the entire Arctic if written in really big letters.