Why does Trump want Greenland?

The president shared an AI image of him planting an American flag, alongside Marco Rubio and JD Vance, and hit out at Sir Keir Starmer's efforts to diffuse the situation.

Mr Trump said the British PM's deal with the Chagos Islands were "great stupidity" and has carried on his efforts to acquire Greenland, not ruling out a military invasion.

"We have to have it," he said.

"They have to have this done. They can't protect it. Denmark, they're wonderful people and I know the leaders are very good people, but they don't even go there.

"And, you know, because the boat went there 500 years ago and then left, that doesn't give you title to property."

The White House said it has a “a range of options” including “utilising the military” to acquire Greenland.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”

But why is the president so keen to get Greenland for the US?

Who currently rules Greenland?

The territory has long been under Danish rule but has come on from the colonial occupation of the 1940s and 1950s to be an almost-independent state.

After a home rule agreement in 1979 and then a self rule charter in 2009, Denmark retains control only of defence, foreign affairs, and monetary policy. Denmark gives a $560m grant each year to Greenland.

The 2023 Greenlandic constitution explicitly commits to independence and this was backed by the prime minister Múte Egede in his 2025 New Year address.

Why Donald Trump wants Greenland

The US has governed Greenland before, most recently during the Second World War, and offered to buy it in 1946 for $100million - $7bn in today’s money.

As to why it is so keen, it appears that a motivator is its geographic placement, to the north east of the US and Canada.

“Owning Greenland is vital for US security... and economic security... It’s an absolute necessity,” Mr Trump has said.

“I cannot assure you that we would not use military or economic coercion.”

Ms Levitt added that Greenland is “vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region”.

But there could be more motivators in play, according to LBC’s James Gray.

“First, it is all about natural resources,” he wrote.

“The great powers’ unashamed lust for Greenland’s rare earths is but one element of a global race to control the production of the strategic minerals, which are essential components of batteries, phones, electric vehicles and all modern computing devices.

"It’s about silicon, germanium, phosphorus, boron, indium phosphide, gallium, graphite, uranium, copper, lithium, cobalt and nickel, among others, and he who controls their production holds the key to the digital Globe.”

He added: “The second great attraction of Greenland is its strategic position. As their ice melts - at a rate of 270 billion tonnes per year - opening up several strategic sea routes, the world is waking up to the potential strategic value of this, the largest non-continental island on Earth.”

What would happen if the US invaded Greenland?

Considering that Greenland does not have a military of its own, it would be left to Danish forces to try and defend the land.

However, with a much smaller army than the American one, it would be likely that a US victory would be only a matter of time.

Unlike the American action, an invasion of Greenland would be considered to be an attack on Denmark, which is a member of Nato and, therefore, other members would be forced to choose between defending Denmark or being privy to the destruction of the alliance.

Denmark and the US were both founding members of Nato in 1949 and under article 5 of the treaty an attack on one nation is considered to be an attack on all.

France, Germany and Britain have all thrown their weight behind Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, urging the US to respect Greenland’s sovereignty.

The statement reads: “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

What will happen next?

European leaders are said to be in discussion about what next and are wary that an American invasion of Greenland would be the biggest threat to continental peace since Russia invaded Ukraine, and possibly since the Second World War.

Mr Trump has been a critic of Nato and other countries’ participation within in, but wrote on Truth Social that he does respect the alliance.

“We will always be there for Nato, even if they won’t be there for us,” he wrote.

French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Inter Radio that he had spoken to US secretary of state Marco Rubio and that he was told there would be no invasion.

“I myself was on the phone yesterday with Rubio, who confirmed that this was not the approach taken,” he said.

Greenland factfile

• Prime minister: Múte Bourup Egede (since 2021)
• Population: Approximately 56,000
• Capital: Nuuk
• Language: Greenlandic (Kalaallisut) is the official language; Danish is also widely spoken and taught in schools
• Political status: Autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark
• Area: Approximately 2.17 million km² (836,000 sq mi) - the world's largest island
• GDP per capita: Around $56,000 USD
• Main industries: Fishing (especially shrimp and halibut), tourism, mineral exploration
• Indigenous population: About 90% of residents are Greenlandic Inuit
• Strategic importance: Home to the US Thule Air Base, important for Arctic defence and early warning systems