Greenland…again

Trump is talking about Greenland, the Arctic and modern colonialism again and thereby drawing a backlash from Greenland and Denmark with the revival of his effort to acquire the world’s largest island. Trump, who has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland for the U.S., angered officials by tapping Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) as his envoy to Greenland. He says Greenland is paramount to U.S. national security and that Landry’s goal will be to make the autonomous Danish territory part of the U.S.

This goal seems unlikely to be reached, given the irritated joint statement from Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that Greenland belongs to Greenlandic people and that the U.S. shall not take the mineral-rich island that has a population of about 57,000 people. They do not address how the colonial power Denmark fits in and if Greenland has a chance to become truly independent.

But that’s unlikely to end Trump’s efforts, leaving analysts wondering if he’d be satisfied with some other alternative. They also warn that the further the president pushes, the more blowback it would prompt from Europe and the international community. This is not surprising as the European powers still try to exploit their former colonies and in particular France and Great Britain are horrible role models.

Denmark was angry enough with Trump’s appointment of Landry, who took office as governor in January 2024, that the country’s foreign minister summoned the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Ken Howery, to elaborate on the president’s remarks. Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, said that Greenlandic officials recently met with Howery, but the administration’s plans to appoint Landry as envoy were not brought up. Greenland’s officials are keen to point out that in Greenland nothing has changed. The foreign minister recently said that “The future of our country is decided by the people of Greenland. We are not Danes. We are not Americans, and we do not wish to become so. We are Inuiaat Kalaallit, we are the people of Greenland.” Our country belongs to us and it is not going to be controlled or owned by others. This is of course an absurd comment as Greenland is a de facto Danish colony. Should Greenland become truly independent, there are many advantages by aligning themselves closer to the U.S. Trump has floated buying Greenland, which is just more than three times the size of Texas, with 80 percent of it covered in snow.

It’s also possible the U.S. could seek to gain influence through strategic investments, or by convincing Greenland’s government that Denmark is a bad economic partner. Landry’s appointment as envoy and appointment of venture capitalist Thomas Dans as head of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission can be seen as new elements in this strategy.

Although some Greenlandic people are in favor of gaining full independence from Denmark, which has a say in the island’s foreign and defense policy posture, the large majority of residents are against joining the U.S. The island, which is a part of Denmark and covered under NATO’s security guarantees, is loaded with mineral deposits, including zinc, lithium, graphite, nickel and copper, all critical minerals necessary in technology manufacturing. However, Trump said that his interest in Greenland does not lie in the island’s mineral abundance, but rather in its strategic qualities and national security.

Denmark has looked to refurbish ties with Greenland in 2025 as its relationship has cooled in recent years over revelations about the past mistreatment of Inuit people by the Danes. This is not surprising as oppression and exploitation is part of colonialism.

Vice President Vance visited the island in late March, stopping by the Pituffik Space Base, a U.S. Space Force Base located on the northwest coast of Greenland, and hammered Denmark for not prioritizing the island’s security. Landry, who previously advocated for Greenland to be a part of the U.S., said the new role would not affect his governorship and claimed that Trump called him to help out Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He billed the administration’s push as a chance for Greenland to experience economic benefits under Washington’s guidance and retain more strategic security.

Some European countries, including France and Sweden, reaffirmed Greenland’s territorial sovereignty, while top congressional Democrats on foreign policy-focused committees said the president is destroying U.S. relationships with allies and that he should direct his attention to Russia. On the contrary, Trump’s logic makes perfectly sense, and it is just a matter of time before a freedom fighter and a leader for independence of Greenland will emerge on the island and Greenland can make their own decisions.