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President Donald Trump has reiterated that the United States will have to acquire Greenland one way or another, ahead of a planned visit to the island by Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha.
Some shit you should know before you read: Shortly after President Trump won the election, he began calling for Greenland to become part of the United States, citing a mix of strategic, economic, and national security reasons. Trump has argued that as Arctic ice continues to melt, new trade routes are opening through the region—routes that geopolitical rivals, like China and Russia, could exploit. He warned that without US control or influence in Greenland, the area risks becoming militarized by foreign powers, threatening global stability and American interests. Trump has also highlighted the island’s vast reserves of rare earth materials and the need to install advanced early warning systems in the Arctic to monitor potential missile threats. These proposals have sparked anger from some US lawmakers and many in Greenland, where there’s strong support for independence.
What’s going on now: In an interview on Wednesday, President Donald Trump doubled down on his ambition for the United States to acquire Greenland, citing national security as the driving force behind the move. “We need Greenland for international safety and security. We need it. We have to have it,” Trump said. He refused to rule out military force, adding, “It’s an island that from a defensive posture, and even offensive posture, is something we need.” Trump framed the acquisition as inevitable, adding, “We’ll go as far as we have to go.” When asked whether the people of Greenland wanted to become part of the United States, he replied, “I don’t know, but we have to convince them.”
Danish and Greenlandic leaders have sharply criticized Trump’s remarks, calling them aggressive and disrespectful. Greenland’s acting head of government, Mute Egede, called the US campaign “foreign interference” and warned, “This is a very aggressive American pressure against the Greenlandic community.” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen echoed that sentiment, telling reporters, “It is unacceptable pressure being placed on Greenland and Denmark… this is clearly not a visit that is about what Greenland needs or wants.”
Recent polling shows 85% of Greenlanders oppose becoming part of the United States.
This all comes as a delegation of US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, prepares to visit Greenland. The original itinerary, which included visits to Greenlandic towns and a popular dog-sledding event, was scrapped after local outrage. Usha Vance’s team reportedly struggled to find any Greenlanders willing to meet with her, with travel agency Tupilak Travel publicly pulling out of hosting duties. In a statement, the company said, “We cannot accept the underlying agenda and will not be part of the press show that, quite of course, comes with it. No thanks to nice visit… Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
The Vances are now only scheduled to visit the US-run Pituffik Space Base, with Danish officials welcoming the scaled-back plans as a “wiser decision.”
