Could the United States buy Greenland? The reason why the island will remain a territory of Denmark

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to assume office, he has already sparked various international controversies, making bold statements that have alarmed both U.S. allies and adversaries.

A recent saga involves Trump’s renewed interest in purchasing Greenland from Denmark. The Danish government—both its civil administration and monarchy—has firmly reiterated that the highly valuable Arctic landmass is not for sale. Their position remains unchanged since Trump’s initial proposal during his first term as president. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has repeatedly reaffirmed the government’s position over the past week. Echoing sentiments from Greenland’s limited government, Frederiksen stated, “that there is a lot of support among the people of Greenland that Greenland is not for sale and will not be in the future either.”

Meanwhile, renewed interest in Greenland prompted Denmark’s King to issue an updated coat of arms for the country, symbolically emphasizing Danish sovereignty over both Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

However, these comments have not stopped the President-elect from pushing forward with his proposal. His son, Donald Trump Jr, is visiting Greenland with the President-elect describing the reception of the delegation as “great” and that under his administration he would “Make Greenland Great Again.”

The Greenlandic perspective

Greenland is an autonomous territory under Danish control. Although the relationship has evolved over the past three centuries, Greenland has been ruled from abroad since 1814, with home rule granted in 1979. In 2009, the relationship between Greenland and Denmark was further redefined, granting Greenland greater control over its natural resources and judicial system. However, defense and foreign affairs remain primarily the responsibility of the Danish government.

According to the CIA World Factbook’s 2024 estimates, Greenland is home to approximately 56,583 people. Around 90 percent of the population are indigenous Greenlandic Inuit, while about 8 percent identify as Danish.

Interestingly, the three most influential political parties in Greenland, based on the results of the 2021 election—Inuit Ataqatigiit (37.44 percent of the vote), Siumut (30.10 percent), and Naleraq (12.26 percent)—all support Greenland’s independence from Denmark. However, while much of the population favors independence, as Donald Trump has suggested, this does not imply that they are interested in becoming a U.S. state.

Greenland’s Prime Minister, Múte Bourup Egede, addressed the future of an independent Greenland in his New Year’s address, explaining that the country must rid itself of the “shackles of the colonial era” to enter a prosperous future. On Monday, January 6, Egede asked his followers on X what they thought about remaining a part of Denmark or joining the US—and responses were mixed. Full independence appeared more popular among the small group of respondents than the status quo or US control.

According to survey data from 2021, analyzed by Arctic Today, more than two-thirds of Greenlanders expressed interest in closer cooperation with both Denmark and the United States. Journalist Martin Breum highlighted in an article that this interest in strengthening ties with Denmark is not contradictory to the desire for independence. Breum explained, “Many backers of Greenland’s independence suggest that cooperation with Denmark will only thrive after secession since at that point it will be carried out by Greenland’s own free will and not by present-day post-colonial structures.”

Denmark makes clear Greenland is not up for grab

Greenland, while sparsely populated, is strategically significant due to its proximity to the Arctic Ocean. This positioning grants Denmark a claim to increasingly important northern trade routes as Arctic ice recedes. Although the U.S. already has access to the Arctic Ocean through Alaska, acquiring Greenland would vastly expand its territorial claims over the region and its potential natural resources.

Earlier today, when asked by a reporter whether he would rule out using military force to gain control of Greenland or the Panama Canal, Donald Trump refused to eliminate any options. He cited “economic security” as his primary concern in both cases.

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