Trump Renews Push for Greenland Acquisition, Citing National Security

U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated America’s claim to control Greenland, stating, “We need Greenland for national security reasons; Denmark is not able to ensure that.” The assertion was echoed by White House officials. A social media post from Katie Miller displayed a map of Greenland colored in U.S. hues. Her husband, Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff to Trump, questioned Denmark’s legal right to the NATO member state in a CNN interview: “By what right does Denmark have control of Greenland? What is the basis of its territorial claim?”

Denmark and several European nations swiftly rejected these renewed overtures. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared on Monday, “I have made it absolutely clear what the position of the Kingdom of Denmark is, and Greenland has repeatedly stated that it does not wish to become part of the United States. Unfortunately, I fear we must take the American president seriously when he says he wants Greenland.”

The Climate Crisis

Greenland, the world’s largest island, spans an area roughly the size of Mexico, Saudi Arabia, or the Democratic Republic of Congo, and approximately half the size of the European Union. Despite its vastness, covering over 2 million square kilometers, it is home to only about 60,000 people. Most residents are Inuit Kalaallit, living in small coastal settlements, with roughly one-third residing in the capital, Nuuk.

Politically, Greenland belongs to Denmark, a member state of both the EU and NATO, but has largely been self-governing since 2009. Only foreign and defense policies remain under Copenhagen’s purview. Geographically, the island stretches from the North Atlantic to the permanent ice of the Arctic Ocean. Eighty percent of Greenland’s surface is covered by ice.

Only the coastal areas, an expanse slightly larger than Germany, are free of ice, at least during the summer. However, global warming is gradually shrinking glaciers across the entire polar region. Greenland’s interior is becoming more accessible, and Arctic sea routes are periodically becoming navigable. This development increasingly places the entire region at the center of geostrategic interests.

Rich Natural Resources

Firstly, the exploitation of raw material reserves there could soon become more economically viable. Secondly, new shipping routes are opening for both commercial and military vessels. Greenland’s subsurface reserves include strategically critical raw materials such as uranium, oil, and natural gas, as well as the world’s two largest known deposits of rare earths. Additionally, nickel, copper, gold, and graphite are present.

Under its self-governance, Greenland’s government has largely suspended the mining of rare earths, uranium, oil, and natural gas for ecological reasons. However, it remains uncertain whether this policy would be maintained if Greenland were to separate from Denmark and, by any means, fall under direct U.S. influence. While many analysts view natural resources as a key driver of growing American interest, the U.S. President dismisses this, citing the island’s geostrategic value. Shortly before Christmas, he appointed a special envoy for Greenland. At a press conference, he stated, “We need Greenland for national security, not for natural resources.”

Outpost

Washington views the island as a strategic outpost in the Arctic, particularly in light of increasing Russian and Chinese activity in the region. Simultaneously, the objective is to limit other major powers’ access to Arctic resources and control of new maritime routes. Military considerations have played a significant role for decades. As early as 1951, at the onset of the Cold War, the U.S. and Denmark signed a defense agreement that permitted the construction of Thule Air Base.

Today, the base is also used for space surveillance and, since 2023, has been renamed Pituffik Space Base. It is considered a key pillar of the American early warning system for missile launches. The Arctic lies much closer to Eurasia, with China, Russia, and North Korea, than the continental United States. U.S. interest in Greenland is far from new. As early as 1867, the year the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia, politicians considered the annexation of Greenland and Iceland.

From 1868…

On July 1, 1868, American newspapers reported that Secretary of State William Henry Seward was close to finalizing the purchase of Greenland for $5.5 million in gold. The deal did not proceed, but the idea persisted for decades. During World War II, when Germany occupied Denmark, the U.S. indeed took control of Greenland, though it returned the island to Denmark after the war’s end.

Even in 1955, security advisors attempted to persuade then-U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to buy the island. However, with the 1951 defense agreement, Denmark had already granted the U.S. such extensive operational latitude that the cabinet deemed the diplomatic risk too high. The idea was never entirely abandoned but was mainly discussed behind the scenes. Only Donald Trump brought it back into the public spotlight during his first presidential term (2017–2021).

A planned trip to Copenhagen in August 2019 was abruptly canceled after Prime Minister Frederiksen called the idea of selling Greenland to the U.S. “absurd.” At the start of his second term, in early 2025, Trump reiterated his demand. Even when questioned, he did not rule out economic pressure or violent annexation, a stance consistently echoed by other White House officials.

Denmark and Independence

Denmark colonized Greenland, inhabited by Inuit, approximately 300 years ago. In 1721, Denmark-Norway sent the first missionary expedition. The colonial period ended in 1953 when Greenland became part of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1979, Copenhagen granted Greenland self-governance, and a 2009 law further strengthened its autonomy. Danish sovereignty over Greenland is internationally recognized, including by a 1933 decision of the Permanent Court of International Justice.

Economically, the island also largely depends on Denmark. However, according to the principles of United Nations international law, Greenland has the right to self-determination. The 2009 autonomy law includes the right to hold a referendum on full independence. In light of recent U.S. statements, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen emphasized, “Greenland is our country. Our decisions are made here. And I will always fight for our freedom and the right to self-determination and to shape our future.”