Trump, 80, Makes Unhinged Claim That He Seized Greenland

“I got Greenland,” the president told supporters. “I hope you’re happy about that.”

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an election rally at the Oncenter on October 09, 2026, in Syracuse, New York.

Donald Trump brazenly lied about having seized Greenland during a Friday midterm campaign rally in Syracuse, New York.

The 80-year-old president said he created a “soon-to-be very prosperous Arctic,” referring to his administration’s interest in the region’s oil and critical mineral resources.

“I got Greenland,” the president claimed. “I hope you’re happy about that. Remember they all said, ‘Oh, he’s never going to get it.’ No. We got Greenland. And for the right price, you know what we paid. Right? Zero.”

His boast seemed to be a dramatic distortion of what really happened, which was the signing of an agreement that expands U.S. military access to the island.

The U.S., Greenland, and Denmark reached an agreement on Sept. 22 to amend and supplement the 1951 agreement governing Greenland’s defense, mostly expanding U.S. military access and restricting sensitive investments by non-allied countries. It doesn’t automatically grant the U.S. mining or drilling rights, nor does it transfer ownership to the U.S. But it could encourage resource development by reducing political uncertainty, according to Greenland Energy CEO Robert Price.

Despite Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen saying the agreement recognizes “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination,” Trump nevertheless portrayed the treaty supplement as an acquisition.

People cheer as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on stage during a Syracuse election rally.

Trump may be conflating an aspect of the agreement that merely expands American influence over who can access the island’s resources. Washington was granted a new veto over certain foreign investments in Greenland’s mining and infrastructure sectors. The U.S., Denmark, and Greenland must unanimously agree on investments from countries outside NATO before its partners and the EU can proceed.

However, Greenland remains a self-governing territory under Danish sovereignty, according to the Danish Prime Minister’s Office.

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Mining poses many potential risks to the Arctic’s unique wildlife, including displacing animals such as caribou and seabird colonies and contaminating waterways.

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