Insiders: Trump will really "take the island"

US President-elect Donald Trump is apparently serious about trying to acquire Greenland – not necessarily by military force, but by other means such as putting economic and diplomatic pressure on Denmark.

"I'm not saying that he wants to use force to acquire Greenland," said the source, who is close to the Trump team. "But he is apparently serious about using other ways – economic, diplomatic – to acquire at least control of Greenland."

According to a friend who saw a list of foreign-policy priorities drawn up soon after Trump's election on November 5 last year by his inner circle of advisers, one of the items was "buy Greenland".

Trump believes that acquiring Greenland is necessary to extend American control in the Western hemisphere, and to counter Chinese and Russian interests in the Arctic region. Besides its abundance of oil, gas, and other mineral resources, Greenland has long been considered vital to US defense interests.

Far from being a passing fancy or a whimsical idea plucked out of a children's book – as was the case with Trump's recent idea to purchase the Mexican island of Isla Mujeres – the president has apparently been eyeing Greenland at least since his first term in office in 2019.

And according to a friend who has spoken to Trump, the plan for annexing Greenland also is tied to the president-elect's desire to leave his mark in history. "The real historical legacy is to expand the physical territory of the United States."

In December 2024, Trump said, "We need it, we need a presence in the Arctic, and that's Greenland." Greenland, which was a Danish colony until 1953, is still part of Denmark, albeit with a certain degree of autonomy that was gained in 2009.