At a press conference Tuesday morning, President-elect Donald Trump announced that the U.S. needs Greenland for “national security purposes,” adding, “nobody knows if (Denmark) even has any right title or interest.”
“The people are probably going to vote for independence or come into the United States,” Trump continued. “But if they did do that, then I would tariff Denmark at a very high level.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., has been public in his recent Greenland adventures, as seen on X: “Greenland loves America and Trump!!! Incredible people with an equally awesome reception. They just want to be able to utilize some of the incredible resources that they have and allow themselves, their country, and their kids to flourish.”
He arrived in Nuuk on Tuesday with other Trump reps, according to the president-elect’s Truth Social post. However, Trump Jr. did not meet with any government officials, but traveled for “podcasting content,” per Fox News.
Right before his trip, Trump Jr. told Fox News, “As someone who has traveled to some fascinating places across the globe as an outdoorsman, I’m excited to stop into Greenland for a little bit of fun this week.”
Florida Voice News’ Eric Daugherty posted a video to X of Trump Jr. on speakerphone with his dad in a room full of Greenlanders wearing MAGA hats.
On the phone, Trump said, “I just want to say that (Greenland is) a very special place. It needs security for itself, but it also needs security very much for the world. You see ships sailing around, and they’re not the right ships. They’re not the ships you want to know about. So we need security, and our country needs it, and the whole world needs it. You guys are so strategically located, so it’s really imperative.”
Meanwhile, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., responded positively to the idea of acquiring Greenland on Fox News, saying, “I do think it’s a responsible conversation, if they were open to acquiring it, you know, whether just buying it outright.”
He continued, “If anyone thinks that’s bonkers, it’s like, well, remember the Louisiana Purchase? I think Alaska was a pretty great deal too. Fifty million dollars I think it was? It was referred to as Seward’s Folly, and now that was Alaska.”
Greenland as a geopolitical and natural resource power
A professor of earth sciences at Brown University, Amanda Lynch, explained how Greenland would benefit the U.S., giving us “eyes on everything that’s going on, including on the Northern Sea Route, which is controlled by Russia.”
She also nodded to Greenland’s natural resources, which are “not just hydrocarbons but also rare earth minerals and uranium.” She added, “And when we’re thinking about the green energy transition, access to rare earth minerals in particular is important for any nation.”
Acquiring Greenland would also send “a strong, deliberate message to Beijing. Not just talk. Action. Making America ambitious again,” a source connected to Trump’s transition efforts told the New York Post.
A think tank in Washington, D.C., the Wilson Center, also reported that the U.S. has been facing challenges “securing a reliable supply of these materials, which are essential for its economic competitiveness and national security. These materials include metals such as lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, and graphite.”
China has made it difficult for the U.S. to secure these resources. The Wilson Center explained, “China dominates the global supply chain of critical materials, accounting for a significant share of mining, processing, and refining capacity.” Having a dependency on them for resources “raises concerns about supply disruptions, geopolitical risks and market manipulation.”
Klaus Dodds, a professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London, echoed this sentiment, “There is no question at all that Trump and his advisers are very concerned about the stranglehold that China appears to have.”
Who currently runs Greenland?
Greenland is not an independent country but an autonomous territory of Denmark. Greenland governs most of its domestic affairs, while Denmark governs with Greenland’s foreign affairs and defense, per the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
In 1979, Denmark granted Greenland home rule, and in 2009 the rule expanded, giving Greenland control over its own resources and a greater say in political and economic decisions. The island’s official language is Kalaallisut, but many people also speak Danish. Currently, around 60,000 people live in Greenland, a population roughly five times smaller than Wyoming.
Previous U.S. involvement in Greenland
The earliest mentions of acquiring Greenland came in 1867 when the U.S. moved forward with acquiring Alaska, and talks have ebbed and flowed since then.
In 1946, the Harry S. Truman administration made a bid to purchase Greenland for $100 million.
Then in 2019 during his first administration, The Wall Street Journal reported on Trump’s expressed interested in acquiring Greenland, “In meetings, at dinners and in passing conversations, Mr. Trump has asked advisers whether the U.S. can acquire Greenland, listened with interest when they discuss its abundant resources and geopolitical importance.”
With his return to office, Trump has expressed renewed interest in acquiring the island.
On Truth Social, Trump announced PayPal Co-Founder and previous Ambassador to Sweden Ken Howery as his choice to be the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark.
He continued, “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity. Ken will do a wonderful job in representing the interests of the United States. Thank you Ken, and congratulations!”