The US president stated, “we have to convince them,” emphasizing that acquiring control of Greenland is vital for US national security.
President Donald Trump has reiterated his aim for the United States to obtain control of Greenland, ahead of a contentious planned visit to the Danish autonomous territory by Vice President JD Vance.
“Greenland is essential for international safety and security. We need it. We simply must have it,” Trump expressed in a Wednesday interview.
“I don’t take pleasure in saying it this way, but it’s something we need,” he remarked.
Since his return to the White House in January, President Trump has persistently stated his intentions regarding Greenland for national security reasons.
Trump has not dismissed the possibility of employing military action to bring the Arctic territory under US control, despite its being governed by NATO ally Denmark for over six centuries.
“That land is crucial because it is impossible to adequately defend a significant part of this planet, not just the United States, without it,” Trump stated.
“It’s an island that is fundamentally necessary for both defensive and offensive strategies, especially given the current global situation, and we will need to acquire it,” he added.
Situated between North America and Europe, Greenland holds geo-strategic significance amid escalating US, Chinese, and Russian interest in the Arctic.
The territory also possesses vast untapped mineral and oil reserves—though exploration is currently restricted—that could dramatically alter global trade dynamics.
When asked if he thought the people of Greenland were eager to join the US, Trump replied he was uncertain but noted, “we have to convince them.”
Greenland has consistently expressed its intention for eventual independence from Denmark. Earlier this month, the centre-right opposition Demokraatit party, which is characterized as pro-business and favors a gradual path to independence, won the legislative elections in the territory.
In response to the increasingly assertive approaches from the Trump administration, a staggering 85 percent of the semi-autonomous Arctic territory’s residents have voiced their opposition to being governed by Washington.
Trump’s recent provocative comments arrive as Vice President Vance is poised to visit Greenland this Friday, accompanied by his wife, Usha.
The original agenda, which included attending a dogsled race, incited anger among Greenlandic officials and the local populace. Instead, Vance, his wife, and other officials from the Trump administration will now visit a US military base in Greenland.
The acting head of government in the territory, Mute Egede, referred to the uninvited visit as a “provocation” and an act of “foreign interference” in local matters. The outgoing Greenlandic government stated on Facebook that it had not “extended any invitations for any visits, neither private nor official.”
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also accused the US of applying “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland and Denmark regarding the visit.
“This is pressure that we will resist,” she conveyed to Danish media on Tuesday. “Clearly, this is not a visit about what Greenland desires.”
In light of the backlash, the White House later announced that the Vances would now visit the US-operated Pituffik Space Base in Greenland instead of attending the dogsled race, where a demonstration against US presence was reportedly planned.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen welcomed the decision to limit the visit to the US base.
“I consider it quite positive that the Americans have cancelled their visit among Greenlanders. They will only visit their base, Pituffik, and we have no objection to that,” he remarked.
Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated that visiting the military base was a “much wiser decision” than getting involved in “the political climate in Greenland.”
