Donald Trump has said that using military force to seize Greenland has not been taken off the table. Trump first brought up the idea of purchasing Greenland during his first term as president in 2019. He has stepped up that rhetoric since returning to the White House. His obsession with Greenland, which has a population of nearly 57,000, has caused anxiety for Washington’s coadjutors currently in Europe.
Why it Matters
Greenland is a Danish territory that is self-governed. Trump’s desire to buy the territory has caused a massive strain on the relationship between Greenland’s NATO ally, Denmark, and the United States. The Arctic is already dealing with anxiety caused by new trade routes, Russia and China adding their military footprints, and the mounting issues caused by climate change.
What We Know So Far
On Saturday, when asked about military force, Trump told NBC News, “I don’t take anything off the table.” He added that there was a “good possibility that we could use military force.” Trump made the comments one day after his vice president, J.D. Vance, and his wife, Usha Vance, took a trip to Greenland, where they stopped to tour the Pituffik Space Base in the northwest region of the island. Vance said during the trip that he did not feel that “military force is ever going to be necessary.” He went on to state that he believed a “Donald Trump-style” deal would “ensure the security of the territory.
Gaining Control Of Greenland is “Necessary”
Despite having nothing to back up his beliefs, Trump has repeatedly stated that gaining control is “absolutely necessary” to maintain national security. In early March, Trump said that the White House supported Greenland’s “right to determine your own future” and added that the United States “welcomes ” the territory as a state. A recent poll of the territory’s population showed that residents had little to no desire to be a part of the U.S.
On Friday, Vance struck out at Denmark, claiming that the government in Copenhagen had not “done a good job at keeping Greenland safe.” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen quickly responded to Vance’s comments, stating that it had just hiked its defense spending and made “fresh investments” in the Arctic.
Former deputy assistant secretary of defense for European policy, Jim Townsend, recently told Newsweek that he believed the alliance could never recover from a U.S. military operation in the territory. Lars Løkke, Denmark’s foreign minister, said in a video message meant for “our American friends” that Copenhagen was “open to criticism,” but that they did not “appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered.”
“Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course, we are open to criticism. But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies. And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies
Greenland Will Become Part Of the U.S.
While in the territory, Vance held a press conference in which he stated that “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job for the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security of this incredible, beautiful landmass.”
“President Trump leads America with peace through strength, and that means showing strength when you have to,” Vance wrote Monday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, ahead of the minute-long montage. “It’s time to bring security back to Greenland.”
On Saturday, Trump shared with NBC News, “We’ll get Greenland. Yeah, 100 percent.”
