Greenlanders gather in the city center and march to the U.S. consulate to protesting U.S. President … More Donald Trump’s remarks on the sovereignty of their country, in Nuuk, Greenland on March 15, 2025. (Photo by Ahmet Gurhan Kartal\/Anadolu)<\/p>\n
Anadolu via Getty Images<\/p>\n
U.S. President Donald Trump has made it clear what he wants: Greenland. But what does Greenland want? And is Trump willing \u2013 and able \u2013 to give Greenland\u2019s leaders and people what they need to even consider becoming part of the United States?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can give the people of Greenland way more money\u201d than \u201cthe 60,000 dollars per year per person\u201d they get from the Danish government, Vice President JD Vance said in an interview<\/a> on Newsmax on Thursday. But money is not the answer to what Greenland wants. And the more Trump and his team insist that the question of Greenland is about money, the harder they make it for themselves to win the Greenlanders over<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why Greenland Prefers Danish Leaders To Trump<\/p>\n The same day JD Vance offered the Greenlanders \u2018way more money\u2019 than the Danish government, Denmark\u2019s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen held a press conference aboard the Danish Navy inspection ship Vaedderen in Nuuk, Greenland.<\/p>\n Flanked by Greenland\u2019s acting elected head of government M\u00fate Borup Egede on the one side and the newly elected head of government Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the other, Frederiksen spoke directly to the American government in English, saying: \u201cYou cannot annex another country, not even with an argument about international security.\u201d<\/p>\n Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (C), Greenland’s acting head of government M\u00fate Bourup … More Egede (R) and newly elected head of government Jens-Frederik Nielsen (L) hold a press conference aboard the Danish Navy inspection ship Vaedderen in Nuuk, Greenland, on April 3, 2025. (Photo by Mads Claus Rasmussen)<\/p>\n Ritzau Scanpix\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n While the Trump team keeps saying that Greenlanders do not want to be part of Denmark, Greenlandic leaders keep standing side by side with Danish leaders, unanimously emphasizing that Trump will not get Greenland. Why is that? Is the Trump team wrong when they say that Greenland wants to be independent of Denmark? No. But they are wrong when they say it has to do with Denmark.<\/p>\n Greenland\u2019s wish for independence has to do with Greenland. Not Denmark. Not the United States. And not China as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested<\/a> when he said the Trump administration is \u201cnot going to let China come in now and offer them a bunch of money and become dependent on China.\u201d Unlike the Greenlanders, the question of Greenland is never about Greenland for Trump and his team. Money, yes. America\u2019s security, yes. International security, yes, so they say. But Greenland, no.<\/p>\n According to AP News<\/a>, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen \u201ctraveled to the strategically critical Arctic island as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks control of Greenland.\u201d But neither Greenlandic nor Danish leaders think and talk about Greenland as a strategically critical island for the American president to seek control over. Nor do they think and talk about Greenland as JD Vance did when he told Newsmax that Denmark \u201cof course controls Greenland right now.\u201d<\/p>\n For Greenlandic and Danish leaders, the question of Greenland is not about control, but about what … More it takes for Greenland to succeed as an independent country. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (R) in conversation with Greenland’s acting head of government M\u00fate Bourup Egede (C) and newly elected head of government Jens-Frederik Nielsen (L) (Photo by MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN)<\/p>\n Ritzau Scanpix\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n For the U.S. government and media, the question of Greenland is about control, specifically whether Denmark or the United States should have control of the island. But for Greenlandic and Danish leaders, it is about Greenland\u2019s past, present, and future<\/a>, specifically what it takes for Greenland to succeed as an independent country.<\/p>\n What Greenland Wants<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be Americans. No, we don\u2019t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves,\u201d said<\/a> Jens-Frederik Nielsen before he was elected as Greenland\u2019s new head of government in March.<\/p>\n Greenland subsequently put action behind Nielsen\u2019s words by forming a new government consisting of four of the five political parties in Greenland\u2019s parliament. Nielsen described the motive for a broad coalition this way:<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not the time for political tactics and internal disagreements. The situation for our country is far too serious for that. When someone threatens us, looks down on us or speaks badly of us, we stand together.\u201d<\/p>\n NUUK, GREENLAND – MARCH 28: Four of the five political parties in Greenland’s parliament announced a … More coalition agreement following the March 11 election. Greenlandic leaders have been angered by President Trump’s vow to gain control of Greenland “one way or the other.” (Photo by Leon Neal)<\/p>\n Getty Images<\/p>\n