Location, minerals and military presence: why does Trump want Greenland so much?

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated that he wants to seize Greenland, prompting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to call on him to “stop threats” to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

On Sunday night, after Frederiksen’s statement, Trump reinforced his position. “We need Greenland from a national security point of view,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One, apparently emboldened after the American operation in Venezuela and the capture of Nicolás Maduro, its authoritarian leader, and his wife.

Trump’s comments were the latest in his long campaign to take control of Greenland. In December, he appointed the first U.S. special envoy to the island, angering the leaders of Denmark and Greenland.

On Sunday, a day after the end of the US military operation in Venezuela, Trump refocused on Greenland, but Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen reacted strongly.

Frederiksen said he would “strongly urge the United States to stop the threats.” Nielsen called Trump’s rhetoric “totally unacceptable” and said his efforts to link the situation in Venezuela to Greenland were “wrong” and “disrespectful.”

Why does Trump want Greenland?

Trump claims the island is vital to US national security and argues that Denmark is not investing enough to adequately protect it.

Greenland is important for its geostrategic location. An American military base, specializing in missile defense, is on the island.

Most of Greenland lies within the Arctic Circle, where superpowers vie for military and commercial dominance. Controlling the island would give the United States an outpost in a crucial naval corridor that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Arctic, where melting ice due to climate change is making a previously impassable area navigable, turning it into a staging ground for competition.

Greenland also has huge reserves of rare earth minerals, essential components for batteries, cell phones, electric vehicles and other high-tech products, a market dominated by China.

Some scientists claim that parts of Greenland’s continental shelf may contain some of the largest undiscovered oil and gas reserves in the Arctic. But the Greenlandic government formally abandoned its oil ambitions in 2021, citing environmental risks and a lack of commercial viability.

Greenland has also taken legal steps to limit environmentally destructive mining practices, including a ban on uranium mining in 2021. These measures could be reversed if the US acquired the territory.

Who controls Greenland?

Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, which colonized it more than 300 years ago. For centuries, Denmark ruled Greenland with tight control, regulating trade and allowing limited contact with the outside world.

Greenland gained autonomy in 1979, controlling most of its internal affairs. Since 2009, Greenlanders have had the right to hold referendums on independence.

Denmark controls Greenland’s foreign policy, defense and other aspects of governance. The island is still economically dependent on Denmark, receiving a huge annual subsidy that funds schools, cheap gas and social services.

Can Trump take Greenland?

Either way, it wouldn’t be easy.

Last year, in a speech to Congress, Trump said, “I think we’re going to make it — one way or another.” It is unclear how he would do this.

Military intervention would destroy the core agreement that underpins NATO, of which Denmark and the US are founding members. But Trump did not rule out that possibility. “There’s a good chance we can do this without military force,” he said last year, “but I’m not taking anything off the table.”

Trump has also tried to use economic influence to change public opinion. In his first term, he considered buying the island.

In a social media post last year, he made a direct appeal to Greenlanders: “We are ready to INVEST BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to create new jobs and MAKE YOU RICH.”

But the Greenlandic government has banned foreign and anonymous political funding to “protect the political integrity of Greenland.”

Greenlanders are willing to do business with the US, but they don’t want to be absorbed: polls show that at least 85% are against the idea.

How does Denmark’s army compare to the US?

Denmark has a small army.

The US has the most powerful military in the world, with more than 1.3 million active military personnel.

Denmark is trying to increase its defense capacity and recruit more soldiers, currently having between 7,000 and 9,000 professional soldiers, not including conscripts.

Its security depends heavily on NATO, which has linked Denmark — like much of Europe — to the US for decades.

“No one in Denmark is under the illusion that we should try to defend Greenland against the US,” said Mikkel Runge Olesen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute of International Studies. “It would be impossible.”