Trump Wants Greenland

Over the past few weeks, US President Donald Trump has been very vocal on the subject of American control of Greenland.

In a January 14th post on Truth Social, Trump said Greenland is “vital” to his proposed “Golden Dome” air and missile defence system. He added that “anything less” than US control of Greenland is “unacceptable,” arguing the US needs the territory for national security purposes, which could in turn strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The comments came as Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with officials from Denmark and Greenland, both of which have rejected Trump’s demands.

Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said, “Greenland does not want to be owned by, governed by or part of the United States.”

US officials familiar with internal planning say acquiring Greenland could cost between $500b billion and $700 billion, more than half of the Pentagon’s annual budget. Despite this, a senior White House official confirmed Rubio has been directed to develop a proposal to purchase the island as a “high priority”.

Denmark, a NATO member, has increased its military presence in Greenland in coordination with allies.

Protests have also erupted in Copenhagen, where demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy chanting, “Greenland is for Greenlanders.”

Greenland has hosted a small US military base since a 1951 agreement and already allows an American security presence.

Trump insists that if the US does not “take Greenland,” Russia or China will. “One way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland,” Trump said during Sunday’s press conference.

Meanwhile, China responded in a Monday press conference, saying the US should not use other countries as a “pretext” to pursue its interests in Greenland. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that “China’s activities in the Arctic are aimed at promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and are in accordance with international law… The U.S. should not pursue its own interests by using other countries as a pretext.”

“The rights and freedoms of all countries to conduct activities in the Arctic in accordance with the law should be fully respected,” Mao added. She did not provide further details on those activities.