Why does Trump want to take over Greenland – and could he actually do it? | US News

Since winning re-election, president-elect Donald Trump has expressed an interest in acquiring Greenland.

His aims surrounding Greenland coincide with his repeated claims that Canada should become the 51st state of the US and him directing the US military to draw up options to achieve his goal of “reclaiming” the Panama Canal.

Here is everything you need to know about the US president’s proposals and if they could actually happen.

Why does Trump want Greenland?

National security purposes

Greenland is the world’s largest island and a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. With a population of 57,000, it has been part of Denmark for 600 years.

It is also a founding member of NATO and home to a large US military base.

Straddling the Arctic circle between the US, Russia and Europe, the island offers a unique geopolitical advantage that America has eyed for more than 150 years.

It’s even more valuable as the Arctic opens up more to shipping and trade.

The idea of purchasing Greenland is not a new one for Mr Trump, who raised it as a possibility during his first term in office. But he has since reiterated the benefit it could have for America’s national security.

“We need greater national security purposes,” Mr Trump has said in the past. “I’ve been told that for a long time, long before I even ran [for president].

“People really don’t even know that Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security.”

Mr Trump’s claim to the island coincided with a visit by his son, Donald Trump Jr, back in January.

Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance, will also lead a US delegation to the island which the White House said had been organised as a chance to learn about Greenland.

The delegation will “visit historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage, and attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race”.

Rich in natural resources

As well as its location, Greenland holds rich deposits of various natural resources.

Locked inside the island are valuable rare earth minerals needed for telecommunications, as well as uranium, billions of untapped barrels of oil and a vast supply of natural gas that used to be inaccessible but is becoming less so.

Many of the same minerals are currently mostly supplied by China, so other countries such as the US are interested in tapping into available resources closer to home.

A front-row seat to the climate crisis

More than the oil, gas or minerals, Greenland has a lot of ice – and provides a front-row seat to the globe’s climate crisis.

If that ice melts, it would reshape coastlines across the globe and has the potential to dramatically shift weather patterns.

In fact, Greenland holds enough ice that if it all melts, the world’s seas would rise by 24ft (7.4m).

Greenland also influences hurricane and winter storm activity. Because of its mountains of ice, it has the power to change patterns in the jet stream, which brings storms across the globe and dictates daily weather.

Often, especially in winter, a blocking system of high pressure off Greenland causes Arctic air to plunge to the west and east, sweeping across North America and Europe, winter weather expert Judah Cohen told the Associated Press.

What effect could this have on the UK?

British politician and security expert Mike Martin explained on X that the seas between Greenland and the UK – which has Iceland in the middle – are “utterly vital” for NATO.

He explained that during the Cold War, the UK would often have 50 ships stationed in the area to look after the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) gap – which is the “only sensible route” that the Russian northern fleet has to get into the Atlantic Ocean.

Both the UK and Denmark continue to have a shared security interest in the gap.

The UK government website states that as part of the UK’s Arctic Policy Framework, it will continue to develop military capability in collaboration with Denmark, to allow it to operate in the region and in order to safeguard UK interests and those of its allies.

However, if the territory is taken over by the US, this collaboration could be affected.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told Sky News at the beginning of the year that the comments were “classic Donald Trump”.

“He came in very clearly saying he was going to work for working people,” Mr Lammy said. “And, he sees American national economic security as centring that.

“That is why he’s raising issues, in relation to the Panama Canal, and I suspect to Greenland.”

He added that behind Mr Trump’s “intensity”, there are “actually quite serious national security and economic issues”.

‘Greenland is not for sale’

Ever since Mr Trump expressed an interest in Greenland the country’s government has opposed him.

As the country headed to the polls in early March to elect a new prime minister, Mr Trump promised “billions of dollars” in investment telling them he will “make you rich”.

The Demokraatit party won 30% of the vote in the election, handing Jens-Frederik Nielsen the win. Although his party favours independence, it prefers a slow move away from Denmark.

Mr Nielsen told Sky News’ international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn that he hopes his victory sends a clear message to Mr Trump that “we are not for sale”.

“We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves, not with his hope,” he said.

Ahead of the delegation visit led by Mrs Vance, all five parties in Greenland’s parliament issued a joint statement last week rejecting Mr Trump’s remarks.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has also said she did not believe the US would use military or economic power to secure control over Greenland.

“Greenland is not for sale,” Ms Frederiksen said, adding: “We need to stay calm and stick to our principles.”

Referring to the US as Denmark’s “most important and closest ally” she said she welcomed the US taking a greater interest in the Arctic region, but said it would have to be done in a way that is “respectful of the Greenlandic people”.

Denmark has recognised Greenland’s right to independence at a time of its choosing.

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot also weighed in on the matter earlier this year, saying that the European Union would not let “other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are”.

“If you’re asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no. But have we entered into
a period of time when it is survival of the fittest? Then my answer is yes,” Mr Barrot said.

In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the principle of inviolability of borders applies to every country no matter how powerful.

“Borders must not be moved by force,” Mr Scholz said in a reaction to Mr Trump’s remarks, although he did not mention the president by name.

Why does Trump want the Panama Canal?

The Panama Canal is a waterway that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It acts as a shortcut route, saving time and costs for transporting goods, according to the Embassy of Panama website.

Under the Jimmy Carter administration, control of the canal was handed from the US to Panama in 1979, with the US ending its joint partnership in controlling the strategic waterway in 1999.

It is now administered by the Panama Canal Authority, an autonomous government entity, although a Hong Kong-based contractor operates two ports connected to it.

Mr Trump has claimed that the US is being treated unfairly when it is “overcharged” higher rates for its ships to sail the canal than those of other countries.

He claimed Panama was in “violation” of a deal with the US and that “China is basically taking it over”.

“We gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn’t give it to China,” Mr Trump said on Tuesday. “They’ve abused that gift.”

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino denied in a video statement last month that China has influence over the canal and shot down the idea of the US taking back authority over it.

“Every square metre of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to be so,” he said.

What about Canada?

Mr Trump’s repeated attacks on Canada’s sovereignty has infuriated leadership in the country.

He has claimed that the country “only works as a state” adding the US doesn’t need any of their resources such as lumber or energy.

“As a state, it would be one of the great states anywhere,” Mr Trump said.

“This would be the most incredible country, visually. If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it, between Canada and the US. Just a straight, artificial line. Somebody did it a long time ago, many many decades ago. Makes no sense. It’s so perfect as a great and cherished state.”

Relations between the two countries have since dwindled, with new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney saying Canada faces the most “significant crisis of our lifetimes” because of the president’s “threats to our sovereignty”.

Mr Carney, who is the former governor of the Bank of England, has called a snap election after the resignation of Justin Trudeau. The election on 28 April is likely to come down to who is best equipped to take on Mr Trump.

Could Trump actually do any of this?

The incoming president has offered few details as to how he might carry out his plans to grow the US footprint.

He told Congress at the beginning of March that “America is back”, adding that the American Dream was bigger and better than ever before.

If Greenland becomes independent, it could choose to become associated with the US.

One option could be to form a so-called “free association” pact with America, similar to the status of Pacific island nations Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.

Mr Trump has also suggested he would impose tariffs on Denmark if it resists his offer to purchase the island.

This could make things difficult for Danish companies, particularly drugmakers like Novo Nordisk, which sells the weight loss drug Wegovy and the type 2 diabetes medicine Ozempic.

Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University, told investment magazine Barron’s that the Trump administration could tailor specific tariffs to target products made by Danish companies regardless of where they are manufactured.

On Canada, Congress would first have to approve accepting a new state.

Canada would likely have to have a referendum to gauge voters’ interests in joining the US before more detailed aspects of the process could begin.

If Canada were to join the US – a highly unlikely prospect – its population of 41.6 million would make it the largest state, exceeding California’s 39.4 million residents.

It would also need two senators and 55 House seats – which would have huge effects on US presidental elections.