President Donald Trump vowed that the United States would annex Greenland, provoking disdain among European leaders.
Trump said in a Tuesday speech before Congress that acquiring Greenland is necessary for American national security, promising that the island in the North Atlantic would join the country.
“We strongly support your right to determine your own future. And if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America,” Trump told residents of Greenland during the speech, per a report from Politico.
Yet, he added, “We need Greenland for national security and even international security.”
“And we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it,” he continued. “I think we’re going to get it one way or the other. We’re going to get it.”
Trump said that the deal would benefit Greenlanders.
“We will keep you safe. We will make you rich, and together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.”
Trump emphasized that although the island is sparsely populated, currently at some 60,000 residents, the vast territory has considerable economic potential.
NOW – Trump on taking Greenland: “I think we’re gonna get it—one way or the other we’re gonna get it.” pic.twitter.com/V3ZK81gRCK
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) March 5, 2025
European leaders, especially those in Denmark, which currently controls the island territory, reacted poorly to the suggestion.
Should America take Greenland by force?
However, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen voiced approval that Trump said the United States respects “the right to Greenlandic self-determination,” saying that was “the most important part of that speech,” per Politico.
“They want to loosen their ties to Denmark. We are working on that,” Rasmussen continued, “but I don’t have the impression that they want to do that in order become an integrated part of America.”
Politico noted that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen previously called Trump’s calls for Greenland’s annexation “absurd.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede, who supports the island’s independence from Denmark, has said that his people “don’t want to be Americans.”
Anders Vistisen, who leads the right-wing Danish People’s Party, also rebuked the assertions from Trump.
“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 continued.
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