Greenland: fresh salience
President Donald Trump mentioned his interest in acquiring Greenland from Denmark during his first term in 2019. The Danes did not take the idea seriously. Trump also did not pursue the matter. Greenland is currently an autonomous part of Denmark which exercises powers only in the areas of defence, foreign affairs and currency. It was a Danish colony till 1953 when it was integrated into Denmark. Later in 1978 it was granted partial autonomy whose scope was expanded to full economy in 2008.
After his election for a second term Trump revived his desire for Greenland. He said, in December 2024, that its acquisition was essential for US national security. He strongly referred to Greenland in his state of the union address in March 2025. What Trump stated then needs to be fully quoted because it shows his determination to amalgamate Greenland into the United States.
Trump said “I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland. We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and, if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America. We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it. But we need it, really, for international world security. And I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it. We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before. It’s a very small population, but very, very large piece of land and very, very important for military security”.
Trump’s message to the people of Greenland was stark and can only mean this: it is better that you join us because in any case we are going to “get” your “very large piece of land” because it is important for our security. Greenland has been outraged with Trump’s desire. So have been the Danes. Denmark is a part of the European Union and NATO. The major EU member states have stood by Denmark.
After March last year Trump’s attention veered to other issues. These included the imposition of tariffs on US imports from other countries, trying to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict and bringing peace to Gaza. But his interest in acquiring Greenland had not gone away. In late March last year Vice-President JD Vance visited the US base in Greenland and advised the people of Greenland to sever their ties with Denmark. In December last year Trump appointed a Special Envoy for Greenland. His mandate was to make Greenland a part of the US. The population of Greenland is only 57000 who seem to want independence.
After US success in extricating Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on January 3 to stand trial in the US on narcotics related charges, the Greenland issue suddenly acquired a fresh salience. On January 5 Stephen Miller the Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House said that Greenland should become part of the US. Two days later, the White House press secretary told a news outlet that Trump had made it clear that “acquiring Greenland was a national security priority for the US” because “it is necessary to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region”. She also said that the “President and his team” were “discussing a range of options” on the issue and the “use of the US military” was always an option available to the President.
There was an outcry in Denmark against these comments. Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen said that if the US used force to acquire Greenland it would mean the end of NATO. Greenland’s government and people also expressed unhappiness with the renewed US push. Major European powers have formally stood beside Denmark but appear uneasy. On its part the US has emphasised the importance of NATO. Now, US Secretary of State and his Danish counterpart are set to meet in Washington next week to discuss this issue. Greenland has a Foreign Minister though formally foreign affairs are handled by the Danish government. She will join the meeting.
Many observers feel that under a 1953 treaty the US has great military access in Greenland. It had many bases there during the Cold War but after its end it reduced them to one. Now with the consent of Greenland and Denmark it can increase their number to counter threats from China and Russia which may increase because of the melting of the Arctic ice. However, in addition to counter these threats what Trump’s approach signals is his desire to get Greenland because of its natural resources which include critical minerals. These will be more accessible with Greenland’s ice cover going down due to climate change.
There is one other aspect to Trump’s seeming insistence on purchasing Greenland. The expansion of the US from the area of the 13 colonies which broke away from Britain to proclaim an independent country has been through purchases. The more important among them are the Louisiana purchase of 1803 from France which almost doubled the area of the then US, the Florida purchase in 1810 from Spain and the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. Does Trump want to go down in history as the President who expanded US territory. That will happen if he succeeds in amalgamating Greenland. Interestingly, he has also said that Canada will be better off if it became US’s 51st state.
Clearly, Trump is placing no significance on the world order that the US had put in place after the Second World War which emphasised sovereignty and restraint on the part of the great powers. His action in Venezuela and now his active thrust for Greenland indicate this. Trump’s policies will inevitably become infectious.
