The Greenland crisis has escalated over the past week. Greenlanders are protesting, Trump is threatening, NATO troops are on the scene… How did we get there?
Donald Trump first came up with the idea of buying Greenland during his first presidency. At the time, everyone just waved it off as an absurd joke. It wasn’t until his second presidency – when he returned to power with much more radical rhetoric – that people realized he wasn’t joking.
In the spring of 2025, Trump began to claim Greenland again – but this time more boldly. He even sent his son and JD Vance there to incite the locals against Denmark, which administers the island. Even though the topic faded from public attention amid other global crises, it never fully disappeared.
Greenland resurfaced again when the US attacked Venezuela at the beginning of January. A few hours later, a disturbing status appeared on the Twitter account of Katie Miller. The wife of Trump advisor Stephen Miller shared a map of Greenland with the American flag and the caption “soon.”
Stephen Miller later stated that “Greenland should be part of the US” and that “nobody’s gonna fight the US over the future of Greenland”.
Soon, Donald Trump himself joined in. In addition to statements such as “The US would own Greenland one way or another,” he ordered special forces to draw up a plan for a possible invasion of Greenland.
As a result, “Hands off Greenland” protests started in Denmark this weekend. Many European leaders also supported these protests. At the same time, Denmark, along with other NATO members like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands, sent its soldiers to Greenland for exercises. To demonstrate to Donald Trump that they are not afraid of him.
Trump responded on his own social media platform. He threatened to impose tariffs on all states that participated in the exercise, which he would gradually increase.
But how did Trump even come up with the claim to Greenland?
Up until the 10th century, Greenland was inhabited by Indigenous Arctic people. In 985, Norse Viking Erik the Red arrived on the island, naming it “Greenland” to attract other Norsemen. Their settlements thrived for centuries but mysteriously declined by the 15th century (likely due to climate change or conflict with Inuit).
In the 18th century, Denmark-Norway rediscovered Greenland during its colonial expansion. When the monarchy of Denmark and Norway broke apart in 1814, Denmark kept Greenland.
And that’s when the US enters the game for Greenland for the first time
In 1867, after buying Alaska from Russia, US Secretary of State William Seward tried to buy Greenland. He was not only motivated by Greenland’s vast fisheries and mineral wealth but also by its strategic location. By acquiring Greenland, he could force Canada (which lies between Alaska and Greenland) to become part of the US. But Denmark refused.
US governement discussed this plan again in 1910 – but made no official offer to Denmark.
However, in 1916, Denmark sold to the US another of its islands: the West Indies (now the Virgin Islands) – mainly because they were economically draining.
Then came World War II. After Germany occupied Denmark in 1940, the United States signed a “Greenland Defense” agreement with the Danish ambassador, granting the US the right to build military bases on the island. After Germany surrendered in May 1945, the Danes expected the Americans to go home. But they refused.
The Cold War with the Soviet Union was beginning, and the Americans were well aware of the strategic location of Greenland. In 1946, during the Truman presidency, the US proposed to pay Denmark $100 million for the island. However, the then Danish Foreign Minister Gustav Rasmussen rejected the proposal – he considered it absurd. According to him, Denmark owed America a lot for its help in the war, but not the whole island of Greenland.
Ultimately, in 1951, a compromise was reached. The US and Denmark signed an agreement allowing a US military presence in Greenland in exchange for financial aid. This gave the US the control over Greenland’s defense, though Denmark retained sovereignty.
Greenland’s path to independence
In 1953, Greenland was integrated into Denmark, meaning that it was no longer a colony. During the 1970s, an independence movement emerged, culminating in 1979, when Greenland gained so-called “home rule” (= self-governance in certain domestic affairs). In 2008, a referendum on greater autonomy leading to eventual independence was held. The vast majority of people voted for loosening ties to Denmark. So, in 2009, Greenland upgraded to “self-government,” meaning total autonomy except for defense and foreign policy, which are still controlled by Denmark. And it also means that Greenlanders can organize a referendum on total independence from Denmark – if they want to. Do they want to?
According to the Verian Group survey, 56% of Greenlanders would vote yes to Greenlandic independence if a referendum were held today. But at the same time, 45% of Greenlanders do not want independence if the standard of living is negatively affected. So, the reason the referendum hasn’t been held yet is probably due mainly to economic reasons…
On the other hand, when it comes to the question of whether Greenlanders want to be part of the US, the polls show very clear no (by 85%).
There have been no major US attempts to acquire Greenland since 1951 – not until Donald Trump raised the idea again in 2019.
Why does Greenland matter for Trump?
strategic positon
Trump claims that Greenland is important to him because of its strategic position toward Russia and China, currently operating in the Arctic region and therefore posing a threat to the US. Although Russian and Chinese ships have appeared in the Arctic Ocean, their main “territory” remains the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, near the US state of Alaska. So, strategically speaking, Trump should be much more worried about the Russian and Chinese threat to Alaska than to Greenland. Moreover, the US already has de facto military control of Greenland.
The real reason therefore seems to be:
rich natural ressources
Except for rich oil and gas reserves, Greenland also has massive deposits of rare earth metals such as lithium. Which are critical for smartphones, batteries, and electric vehicles. Currently, the US is dependent on importing these metals from China. Gaining control of Greenland would mean having its own source. Moreover, these metals, long hidden under Greenland ice, are now becoming more accessible due to global warming.
However, there are also theories that Greenland is supposed to be:
a distraction from domestic politics
Trump loves big, symbolic gestures and strong words – and so do his voters. Acquiring Greenland would allow him to market himself as one of the greatest American presidents. And perhaps distract some of his voters who were reconsidering voting for him in the upcoming Congress elections because of the scandals caused by his government. The latest such scandal was the shooting of Renee Good, an unarmed American citizen, by a US immigration officer in early January.
And why should we care?
Because the US is the world’s most powerful country, on which we are all dependent in some way (either economically, technologically, or politically). And it is currently led by a person who exhibits strong authoritarian tendencies, both at home and abroad. This, at best, could lead to a disruption of world security; at worst, to a war.
Because the moment we normalize the idea that a stronger state can start claiming our territory – even though it is our ally (as is the case with the US and Denmark) – any other alliance loses its value, and we would forever have to live in constant uncertainty about what stronger state will come for us next.