{"id":506326,"date":"2026-01-10T14:34:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/506326\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T14:34:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:34:22","slug":"what-are-potential-hard-ways-trump-could-try-to-take-greenland-donald-trump-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/506326\/","title":{"rendered":"What are potential \u2018hard ways\u2019 Trump could try to take Greenland? | Donald Trump News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since taking the White House in January last year, President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wants to annex Greenland \u201cvery badly,\u201d with a range of options on the table, including a military attack.<\/p>\n

Amid opposition from Greenlandic lawmakers, Trump doubled down on Friday, threatening that the United States is \u201cgoing to do something [there] whether they like it or not\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we don\u2019t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland. And we\u2019re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbour,\u201d Trump said at a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don\u2019t do it the easy way, we\u2019re going to do it the hard way,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Since the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week from Caracas in a military operation, Trump and his officials have upped the ante against the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk.<\/p>\n

So, what are the ways that US President Trump could take control of Greenland, a territory of Denmark?<\/p>\n

\"INTERACTIVE<\/p>\n

Is Trump considering paying out Greenlanders?<\/p>\n

Paying out to Greenland\u2019s nearly 56,000-strong population is an option that White House officials have been reportedly discussing.<\/p>\n

Located mostly within the Arctic Circle, Greenland is the world\u2019s largest island, with 80 percent of its land covered by glaciers. Nuuk, the capital, is the most populated area, home to about one-third of the population.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s officials have discussed sending payments to Greenlanders \u2013 ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person \u2013 according to a Reuters report, in a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and potentially join Washington.<\/p>\n

Greenland is formally a part of Denmark, with its own elected government and rules over most of its internal affairs, including control over natural resources and governance. Copenhagen still handles foreign policy, defence and Greenland\u2019s finances.<\/p>\n

But since 2009, Greenland has the right to secede if its population votes for independence in a referendum. In theory, payouts to Greenland residents could be an attempt to influence their vote.<\/p>\n

Trump shared his ambitions of annexing Greenland during his first term as well, terming it \u201cessentially a large real estate deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the US government were to pay $100,000 to each Greenland resident, the total bill for this effort would amount to about $5.6bn.<\/p>\n

\"AA boy throws ice into the sea in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 11, 2025 [Evgeniy Maloletka\/AP Photo]Can the US \u2018buy\u2019 Greenland?<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that Trump\u2019s officials are \u201cactively\u201d discussing a potential offer to buy the Danish territory.<\/p>\n

During a briefing on Monday with lawmakers from both chambers of Congress, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told them that Trump would prefer to\u00a0buy Greenland rather than invade it. Rubio is scheduled to hold talks with Danish leaders next week.<\/p>\n

Both Nuuk and Copenhagen have repeatedly insisted that the island \u201cis not for sale\u201d.<\/p>\n

There are few modern historical precedents to compare Trump\u2019s threats with Greenland, much like the abduction of Maduro on his orders.<\/p>\n

The US purchased Louisiana from France in 1803 for $15m and Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2m. However, both France and Russia were willing sellers \u2014 unlike Denmark and Greenland today.<\/p>\n

Washington has also purchased territory from Denmark in the past. In 1917, the US, under President Woodrow Wilson, bought the Danish West Indies for $25m during World War I, later renaming them the United States Virgin Islands.<\/p>\n

\"nuuk\"General view of the Nuuk Cathedral, or the Church of Our Saviour, in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 30, 2021 [Ritzau Scanpix\/Emil Helms via Reuters]Can Trump really just pay off his way?<\/p>\n

While Greenlanders have been open to departing from Denmark, the population has repeatedly refused to be a part of the US. Nearly 85 percent of the population rejects the idea, according to a 2025 poll commissioned by the Danish paper Berlingske.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, another poll, by YouGov, shows that only 7 percent of Americans support the idea of a US military invasion of the territory.<\/p>\n

Jeffrey Sachs, an American economist and a professor at Columbia University, told Al Jazeera, \u201cThe White House wants to buy out Greenlanders, not to pay for what Greenland is worth, which is way beyond what the US would ever pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump thinks he can buy Greenland on the cheap, not for what it\u2019s worth to Denmark or Europe,\u201d he said. \u201cThis attempt to negotiate directly with the Greenlanders is an affront and threat to Danish and European sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Denmark and the European Union \u201cshould make clear that Trump should stop this abuse of European sovereignty,\u201d said Sachs. \u201cGreenland should not be for sale or capture by the US.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sachs added that the EU needs to assess \u201c[Greenland\u2019s] enormous value as a geostrategic region in the Arctic, filled with resources, vital for Europe\u2019s military security.\u201d And, he added, \u201ccertainly not a plaything of the United States and its new emperor\u201d.<\/p>\n

Denmark and the US were among the 12 founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949 to provide collective security against Soviet expansion.<\/p>\n

\u201cEurope should tell the US imperialists to go away,\u201d Sachs said. \u201c[Today] Europe is far more likely to be invaded from the West (US) than from the East,\u201d the economist told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

\"TrumpPresident Donald Trump observes military demonstrations at Fort Bragg, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Fort Bragg, North Carolina [Alex Brandon\/AP Photo]Has the US tried to buy Greenland earlier?<\/p>\n

Yes, on more than one occasion.<\/p>\n

The first such proposal surfaced in 1867 under Secretary of State William Seward, during discussions to successfully purchase Alaska. By 1868, he was reportedly prepared to offer $5.5m in gold to acquire both Greenland and Iceland.<\/p>\n

In 1910, a three-way land swap was discussed that would involve the US acquiring Greenland in exchange for giving Denmark parts of the US-held Philippines, and the return of Northern Schleswig from Germany back to Denmark was proposed.<\/p>\n

A more formal attempt was made in 1946, immediately following World War II. Recognising Greenland\u2019s critical role in monitoring Soviet movements, President Harry Truman\u2019s administration offered Denmark $100m in gold for the island.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0Denmark flatly rejected the idea.<\/p>\n

\"greenland\"Denmark\u2019s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen talks with the head of the Arctic Command, Soeren Andersen, on board the defence inspection vessel Vaedderen in the waters around Nuuk, Greenland, on April 3, 2025 [Tom Little\/Reuters]Can the US attack Greenland?<\/p>\n

While political analysts say that a US attack to annex Greenland would be a direct violation of the NATO treaty, the White House has said that using military force to acquire Greenland is among the options.<\/p>\n

Denmark, a NATO ally, has also said that any such attack would end the military alliance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark isn\u2019t going to be able to do it,\u201d Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. \u201cIt\u2019s so strategic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greenland is one of the world\u2019s most sparsely populated, geographically vast regions.<\/p>\n

But through a 1951 agreement with Denmark, the US military already has a significant presence on the island.<\/p>\n

The US military is stationed at the Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, in the northwestern corner of Greenland, and the 1951 pact allows Washington to set up additional \u201cdefence areas\u201d on the island.<\/p>\n

The Thule base supports missile warning, missile defence, space surveillance missions, and satellite command and control.<\/p>\n

Nearly 650 personnel are stationed at the base, including US Air Force and Space Force members, with Canadian, Danish and Greenlandic civilian contractors. Under the 1951 deal, Danish laws and taxation don\u2019t apply to American personnel on the base.<\/p>\n

Denmark also has a military presence in Greenland, headquartered in Nuuk, where its main tasks are surveillance and search and rescue operations, and the \u201cassertion of sovereignty and military defense of Greenland and the Faroe Islands\u201d, according to Danish Defence.<\/p>\n

But the US forces at Thule are comfortably stronger than the Danish military presence on the island. Many analysts believe that if the US were to use these troops to try to occupy Greenland, they could do so without much military resistance or bloodshed.<\/p>\n

Trump told reporters on Sunday that \u201cGreenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place\u201d. Both global powers have a presence in the Arctic Circle; however, there is no evidence of their ships anywhere near Greenland.<\/p>\n

\"greenland\"A protester holds a banner outside Katuaq Cultural Center in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 28, 2025 [Leonhard Foeger\/Reuters]Is there another option for the US?<\/p>\n

As Trump\u2019s officials mull plans to annex Greenland, there have reportedly been discussions in the White House on entering into a type of agreement that defines a unique structure of sovereignty-sharing.<\/p>\n

Reuters reported that officials have discussed putting together a Compact of Free Association, an international agreement between the US and three independent, sovereign Pacific island nations: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau.<\/p>\n

The political arrangement grants the US responsibility for defence and security in exchange for economic assistance. The precise details of COFA agreements vary depending on the signatory.<\/p>\n

For a COFA agreement, in theory, Greenland would need to separate from Denmark.<\/p>\n

Asked why the Trump administration had previously said it was not ruling out using military force to acquire Greenland, Leavitt replied that all options were always on the table, but Trump\u2019s \u201cfirst option always has been diplomacy\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"INTERACTIVE-Where<\/p>\n

Why does Trump want Greenland badly?<\/p>\n

Trump has cited national security as his motivation for wanting to take Greenland.<\/p>\n

For the US, Greenland offers the shortest route from North America to Europe. The US has expressed interest in expanding its military presence in Greenland by placing radars in the waters connecting Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom. These waters are a gateway for Russian and Chinese vessels, which Washington aims to track.<\/p>\n

But Greenland is also home to mineral riches, including rare earths. According to a 2023 survey, 25 of 34 minerals deemed \u201ccritical raw materials\u201d by the European Commission were found in Greenland. Scientists believe the island could also have significant oil and gas reserves.<\/p>\n

However, Greenland does not carry out the extraction of oil and gas, and its mining sector is opposed by its Indigenous population. The island\u2019s economy is largely reliant on its fishing industry at the moment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since taking the White House in January last year, President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wants…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":506327,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[113,29062,69,440,337,1802,50,67,72,103],"class_list":{"0":"post-506326","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-conflict","9":"tag-denmark","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-europe","12":"tag-explainer","13":"tag-military","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-us-canada","17":"tag-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115871305212995149","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=506326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=506326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=506326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=506326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}