President Donald Trump reignited his campaign to claim Greenland for America, telling NATO allies gathered in Turkey on Wednesday that the frozen island matters far more to Washington than it does to Copenhagen.
Trump argued that the U.S. essentially inherited responsibility for Greenland during World War II, after Nazi Germany overran Denmark in a single day and the Danes turned to America for protection of the territory. He said Washington’s decision to hand it back after the war was a mistake — one he suggested should be corrected, framing American control of the island as a matter of global security rather than just U.S. interest.
Trump’s remarks came just after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made clear her government has no intention of letting Greenland go. Speaking at the same summit, she insisted Greenland remains off the table entirely and said Copenhagen expects its NATO allies to honor Greenlanders’ right to choose their own future and to respect Denmark’s sovereignty. Pressed on whether Denmark would fight to protect the island if attacked, Frederiksen said her country stands ready to defend every part of NATO territory, including its own.
Trump’s interest in Greenland isn’t new, and the reasons behind it are hard to dismiss. The Arctic territory sits atop what may be the largest reserves of rare earth minerals outside China — materials critical to everything from fighter jets to smartphones. With Beijing controlling the overwhelming share of global rare earth mining and refining, and holding a massive lead in related patents, Western nations have spent years searching for alternative sources.
Greenland’s military value is just as significant. In 2018, the Trump administration warned Denmark not to allow China, which wanted to build three airports in Greenland, to do so. China could potentially use the airports for warplanes.
Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, the northernmost U.S. installation, houses a radar system tied to America’s missile early-warning network and supports Space Command and NORAD operations — all made possible under a decades-old defense pact between Washington and Copenhagen. Its location, just hours by air from major American cities, makes it a critical piece of homeland defense, especially as melting Arctic ice opens new shipping lanes and draws growing interest from both China and Russia.
Washington has flirted with the idea of owning Greenland before — the Truman administration reportedly floated a $100 million offer in 1946, only to be rebuffed by Denmark.
Nearly eight decades later, the question is back on the table, this time with far higher stakes.
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