President Trump says US needs Greenland for “national security”
President Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, inviting fresh criticism from both Denmark and Greenland.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said on December 23 that he was “sad” and disappointed that President Donald Trump had shown renewed interest in Danish territory by appointing a special envoy to the Arctic island.
Nielsen made the comments in a Facebook post a day after President Trump argued that the United States needed Greenland for national security and named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as his deputy to “take charge.”
Landry became governor in January 2024 and has publicly supported Trump’s ideas. Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen have repeatedly criticized President Trump’s plans for Greenland.
“We cannot annex other countries. There is no discussion of international security,” Nielsen and Frederiksen said in a joint statement on Dec. 22.
“Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, and the United States must not occupy Greenland.”
Greenland is a former Danish colony with a population of approximately 57,000 people. Local governments have the right to declare independence from Denmark under a 2009 agreement, subject to a referendum. However, the territory remains heavily dependent on fishing and Danish welfare subsidies. Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States, is also responsible for Greenland’s defense and security.
During his first term, Trump floated the idea of acquiring Greenland, suggesting the United States might buy it. In his second term, he floated the idea of annexing the state. The majority of Greenlanders reject the idea of becoming part of the United States, although some support independence from Denmark.
Greenland’s strategic location along the shortest route from Europe to North America could lend itself to U.S. ballistic missile warning systems.
U.S. troops already have a permanent presence at Pitufik Air Base in northwestern Greenland.
