President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States would take control of Greenland “one way or the other,” escalating months of increasingly aggressive rhetoric towards the self-governing Danish territory.
Addressing a joint session of Congress in Washington, Trump said he had “a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland.”
“We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America,” he said about halfway through his 90-minute speech.
Trump also pledged to Greenlanders that America would “keep you safe, we will make you rich, and together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.”
But in between the warm wishes Trump’s tone shifted, as he again made the case to Americans that U.S. control of the ice covered Arctic landmass was crucial to their national security.
“We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it,” Trump said
“But we need it really for international, for world security, and I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” he said.
An aircraft alledgedly carrying US businessman Donald Trump Jr. arrives in Nuuk, Greenland on January 7, 2025.
Emil Stach | Afp | Getty Images
“It’s a very small population, but a very, very large piece of land. And very, very important for military security,” the president concluded, before moving on to a separate topic.
The slightly menacing appeal to Greenlanders was unexpected. But it was hardly without precedent.
Trump has been fixated on the strategic importance of the glacier covered island for years, and he has repeatedly suggested that the United States should buy the autonomous territory.
In January, his eldest son Donald Trump, Jr. made a highly publicized visit to Greenland’s capital, where he filmed video for a podcast.
The trip was billed as a personal visit, but the president’s social media posts about it had strong political overtones.
“Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,,” Trump wrote of his son’s visit to Nuuk.
“The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” he added.
Denmark has bitterly rejected Trump’s overtures about acquiring the island, which date back at least to 2019.
Trump’s interest in the island is not merely personal: It’s also part of a broader national security strategy focused on countering Russian and Chinese power in the Arctic Circle.
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