A North American Aerospace Defense Command F-16 Fighting Falcon lands at Pituffik Space Force Base in Greenland on Oct. 7, 2025. President Donald Trump renewed his push for the United States to take control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. (Maxim Dewolf/U.S. Air Force)
President Donald Trump renewed his push for the United States to take control of Greenland, saying over the weekend that the Danish territory will be more of a focal point for his administration in a matter of months.
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One.
Alarms were raised in Denmark and elsewhere in NATO by Trump’s latest Greenland comments, which came one day after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American special operations forces.
The new U.S. national security strategy puts the Western Hemisphere at the top of the Pentagon’s agenda, and Trump has had an interest in the strategic Atlantic island since his first term.
The United States already has a military presence in Greenland, home to the Pituffik Space Base and a ballistic missile early warning mission that involves about 200 active-duty U.S. Air Force and Space Force personnel.
It’s unclear whether more military access would satisfy Trump or whether the White House is seeking complete political control.
“You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dogsled,” Trump said.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday lashed out at the remarks.
“I have to say this very directly to the United States: It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland,” Frederiksen said.
Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, share a meal with service members at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on March 28, 2025. President Donald Trump raised alarm bells in NATO over the weekend with his latest remarks about U.S. interest in the Atlantic island, which is a Danish territory. (Jaime Sanchez/U.S. Space Force)
Frederiksen added that Greenland, as part of NATO, is protected by the alliance’s security guarantee and that the U.S. military already has extensive access to Greenland to carry out operations.
“I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally,” she said, adding that the territory and its inhabitants have repeatedly made it clear “that they are not for sale.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb voiced support for Denmark and Greenland on X late Sunday.
“No one decides for Greenland and Denmark but Greenland and Denmark themselves,” Stubb said.
The developments could pose a major test for NATO unity in the coming year, according to some security analysts.
Mujtaba Rahman, an expert with the political risk consultancy firm the Eurasia Group, called the possibility of American intervention in Greenland the biggest source of risk to cohesion in the alliance.
The risks are “arguably far greater than those presented by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” Rahman said in a statement on LinkedIn.
His comments were a response to posts on X by Katie Miller, wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, that featured an image of Greenland colored with the American flag and the word “soon.”
Since taking office, Trump and other top administration officials have repeatedly argued that the U.S. needs to take over Greenland, citing increased Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic as one of the driving factors.
All U.S. national security issues with Greenland could be addressed through existing agreements, said Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.
“If Denmark can’t handle the security situation like President Trump is suggesting then we should help them, not annex them,” Coffey said Sunday on X.
The Danish ambassador to the U.S., Jesper Moeller Soerensen, had a similar reaction in response to Miller’s post, replying on X that Denmark and the U.S. should coordinate their efforts to secure Greenland together.
“And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Soerensen added.