THE United States will acquire Greenland “one way or the other,” US President Donald Trump said in a speech late Tuesday, after stressing the island’s right to self-determination.
The comments, made during a lengthy speech to the U.S. Congress covering his policy objectives, mark Trump’s latest threat to acquire the self-ruling Danish territory, which he has long said is vital to American interests.
Addressing the people of Greenland, Trump said, “We strongly support your right to determine your own future. And if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”
But he added: “We need Greenland for national security and even international security. And we're working with everybody involved to try and get it … And I think we're going to get it one way or the other. We're going to get it.”
A massive majority of Greenlanders — about 85 per cent — oppose the idea of becoming part of the United States, according to a January poll.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has described Trump’s call for the U.S. to purchase the territory as “absurd,” while Greenland’s pro-independence Prime Minister Múte Egede said his people “don’t want to be Americans.”
Trump’s remarks earned a rebuke from Danish MEP Anders Vistisen of the nationalist, right-wing Danish People’s Party.
“Trump’s words make it clear that the United States views Greenland as a strategic asset, not as a people with the right to true self-determination,” Vistisen told POLITICO.
“If Trump truly wants a good relationship with Greenland, he should start by respecting their and Denmark’s sovereignty instead of trying to bully his way to influence,” he added.
Trump has previously refused to rule out using economic coercion or military force to take Greenland, alarming Copenhagen and Nuuk.
Trump did not repeat those threats Tuesday, but said the mineral-rich island is “a very small population, but very, very large piece of land and very, very important for military security.”
The world’s largest island with a population of around 60,000, Greenland is indeed large and sparsely populated, and hosts an American air base and troops in its frozen far north.
“We will keep you safe. We will make you rich,” Trump said, addressing Greenlanders. “And together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.” – March 5, 2025
