Trump Says US Control, Ownership of Greenland an ‘Absolute Necessity’

The United States made previous offers to purchase Greenland, first in 1867 and again in 1946.

The Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) is pictured in northern Greenland, on October 4, 2023. The base changed its name earlier in 2023. The reason for the new name is that the base is no longer operated by the US Air Force, but instead by the US Space Force. (Photo by Thomas Traasdahl / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT Photo by THOMAS TRAASDAHL/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump said on Dec. 22 that U.S. control and ownership of Greenland is “an absolute necessity” for “national security and freedom throughout the world.”

His comments came as he announced PayPal co-founder and former Trump administration U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Ken Howery as his nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark.

Trump commended Howery for his role in leading efforts to increase defense, security, and economic cooperation between the United States and Sweden and said he would do a wonderful job in representing the interests of the United States to Denmark.

Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede has replied to Trump’s comment on Monday.

“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” Egede said in a statement.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Greenland for comment.

During his first term, Trump expressed interest in purchasing the strategically located, resource-rich island, which is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland has faced long-standing financial challenges.

“Essentially it’s a large real estate deal. A lot of things can be done. It’s hurting Denmark very badly because they’re losing almost $700 million a year carrying it,” Trump said at the time. “So, they carry it at [a] great loss, and strategically for the United States, it would be nice. And, we’re a big ally of Denmark and we help Denmark, and we protect Denmark.”

The United States made previous offers to purchase Greenland, first in 1867 and again in 1946 under President Harry Truman. Denmark declined each time.

“Greenland is rich in valuable resources such as minerals, the purest water and ice, fish stocks, seafood, renewable energy, and is a new frontier for adventure tourism,” the Department of Foreign Affairs in Greenland told Trump in 2019. “We’re open for business, not for sale.”

The landmass, approximately a quarter the size of the United States, has a small population of about 57,000 and a $3.24 billion economy, according to 2021 estimates cited by the Central Intelligence Agency. Its economy is heavily reliant on fish, shrimp, and subsidies from Copenhagen.

The former Danish colony is strategically located about halfway along the shortest route from Europe and Russia to North America. It relies on Denmark for its defense, possessing no military of its own to monitor its 27,000 miles of coastline.

Denmark and the United States agreed to the shared defense of Greenland in the 1951 Defense Agreement, which gave Washington exclusive jurisdiction over defense areas within Greenland and the ability to enhance its surveillance of Arctic waters, central to NATO’s Arctic strategy.

It currently hosts the Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, in its remote northwest. The compound supports personnel from Denmark, Canada, Greenland, and the U.S. Space Force and its space surveillance activities. The base also hosts an Upgraded Early Warning Radar system that is critical for monitoring intercontinental ballistic missile launches from locations such as Russia, the Middle East, or even North Korea and China if their missiles cross the Arctic.

In recent years, a republican movement in Greenland has been advocating establishing the island as its own sovereign state and severing ties with the Danish monarchy, although Danish financial support covers more than half of Greenland’s public budget. A draft constitution was unveiled in June 2023. Independence for the former Danish colony would come from a referendum in Greenland and the approval of the Danish Parliament, which is scheduled for an election in April 2025.

Over the past decade, efforts to diversify the local economy and expand mineral mining, oil and gas exploration, and tourism have made Greenland increasingly economically dependent on China.

According to Chinese state media reports, Beijing considers Greenland a critical and strategic part of its Arctic ambitions, given Greenland’s close proximity to Arctic shipping lanes and rich mineral resources, including uranium and rare earth minerals.

In 2019, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) outlined to the public its ambitions for a “Polar Silk Road,” an extension of its Belt and Road initiative. It sought to develop more shipping lanes through the Arctic and encourage Chinese enterprises to build infrastructure in the region.

With Chinese state media running articles advocating Chinese investment in Greenland to help the island fulfill “its desire” to become an independent nation, China made significant attempts to gain a foothold, although many of its efforts that presented national security concerns—such as investment bids for Greenland mining, purchasing an abandoned naval base at Kangilinnguit, and Chinese state-owned companies’ bidding to finance Greenland airports—have been rejected.

The CCP has been successful in promoting Chinese cultural activities in Greenland, which promotes the Chinese communist regime’s views overseas. In 2023, Greenland officially opened a representative office in Beijing, with Greenlandic Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldt saying, “Greenland is looking forward to strengthening our trade relations and diplomatic ties with China.”

The opening was delayed following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump Announces Further Appointments

President-elect Donald Trump rings the opening bell on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, on Dec. 12, 2024. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Trump listed multiple appointments to his incoming administration on Dec. 22.

He nominated Callista Gingrich, wife of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland; Stephen Alexander Vaden to be deputy secretary of the Department of Agriculture; and Scott Kupor as director of the Office of Personnel Management, pending their Senate confirmations.

Mauricio Claver-Carone was named special envoy for Latin America with the State Department, an important role for bringing order back to U.S. borders, Trump said.

Joining White House AI & Crypto Czar David Sacks is former Trump administration and Pentagon official Michael J.K. Kratsios as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and an assistant to the president for science and technology.

He will be joined by Lynne Parker, who will serve as executive director of the President’s Council of Advisors for Science and Technology and counselor to the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to advise the Trump administration on issues such as artificial intelligence.

Trump named Bo Hines as executive director of the “crypto council,” the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, to “foster innovation and growth in the digital assets space, while ensuring industry leaders have the resources they need to succeed.”

Their goal is to “create an environment where this industry can flourish, and remain a cornerstone of our Nation’s technological advancement,” Trump stated.

Also in the technology space, Trump appointed Sriram Krishnan as senior policy adviser for artificial intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to “focus on ensuring continued American leadership in A.I.”

His appointees will “unleash scientific breakthroughs, ensure America’s technological dominance, and usher in a Golden Age of American Innovation,” Trump stated.

President Donald Trump's White House senior adviser Stephen Miller (L) and Katie Waldman, press secretary for Vice President Mike Pence, arrive at the White House, on Sept. 20, 2019. Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

Katie Miller, former press secretary to Vice President Mike Pence, was also tapped to join Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Department of Government Efficiency, the informal advisory body that Trump has said will enable his administration to “slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.”

Katie Miller is the wife of Stephen Miller, Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff.

Reuters contributed to this report.