US President Donald Trump has his eyes set on Greenland, and he's become more vocal than ever about it since the successful invasion of Venezuela and taking its President, Nicolas Maduro, in what many say was nothing short of an “abduction.”
About Greenland, after that raid, Trump said the enormous Arctic territory was key to US security interests. His repeated calls to “acquire” the island have led to pushback from leaders of Denmark and Greenland and brought back a viral rebuke from a Danish politician last year.
In January 2025, Danish Member of the European Parliament Anders Vistisen responded sharply to Trump's attempts to “buy” Greenland.
“Dear President Trump, listen very carefully,” he began, speaking at the legislative chamber.
“Greenland has been a part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It is an integrated part of our country. It is not for sale.”
“Let me put it in words you would understand. Mr Trump, f*** off,” he said.
Denmark telling Mr Trump to fuck off.
— BladeoftheSun (@BladeoftheS) January 22, 2025
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Trump's interest in Greenland is not new. He first raised the idea of occupying the vast, mineral-rich territory during his first presidency. The proposal was dismissed by Copenhagen at the time. He even cancelled a state visit in 2019 after Denmark rejected the idea.
After his inauguration in 2025, Trump revived the plan, calling Greenland a “wonderful place” and suggesting it was essential to US national security, especially amid concerns about Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic. US officials have since appointed a special envoy to pursue deeper ties with Greenland.
READ: 'It's A Big Problem': Trump's Warning After Greenland "Chooses" Denmark
In recent days, Trump has claimed that control of Greenland is necessary to pre-empt potential influence from rival powers. The American President even suggested that the US might occupy the island “one way or another.”
His comments have been met with firm denials from both Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish leaders, who insist the island is not for sale and remains a sovereign part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland has also spoken of its commitment to NATO and said that defence arrangements should remain multilateral.
On Tuesday, Greenland's Prime Minister, standing alongside his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen, declared that his government would align unequivocally with Denmark rather than Washington, ahead of critical talks in the White House.
“We are now facing a geopolitical crisis,” Nielsen said at a joint press conference in Copenhagen, as per TIME. “If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU.”
Trump responded, “That's their problem. I disagree with them. I don't know who he [Nielsen] is. Don't know anything about him, but that's going to be a big problem for him.”
Denmark, a founding NATO member, has fought alongside US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Greenland is covered by NATO's collective defence guarantees.
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