WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has renewed his long-standing call for the United States to take control of Greenland, escalating tensions with Denmark and unsettling European allies already rattled by Washington’s recent military intervention in Venezuela, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump doubled down on his claim that Greenland is vital to U.S. national security, dismissing Denmark’s ability to safeguard the vast Arctic territory. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” Trump said, adding cryptically that the administration would address the issue “in about two months… or 20 days.”
The remarks prompted a swift rebuke from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who accused Washington of threatening a close ally. “It is absolutely absurd to say that the United States should take control of Greenland,” she said, emphasizing that Denmark—and Greenland—are protected under NATO’s collective defense agreement.
Trump’s comments come amid heightened global anxiety following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, where the president has declared that Washington will now “run” the country and exploit its vast oil reserves. Asked by The Atlantic whether the Venezuela intervention set a precedent for mineral-rich Greenland, Trump demurred but reiterated, “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”
Fueling the controversy, Katie Miller, a former Trump aide and wife of senior adviser Stephen Miller, posted an image of Greenland colored like the U.S. flag with the caption “SOON.” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen condemned the post as “disrespectful,” stressing that Greenland’s future is governed by international law, not social media provocation. Still, he urged calm, noting that the territory “is not for sale.”
Denmark’s ambassador to Washington, Jesper Møller Sørensen, responded with a pointed reminder of the close alliance between the two nations, highlighting Denmark’s increased Arctic security cooperation with the United States. “We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” he wrote.
As Trump revives an idea once dismissed as fanciful, his rhetoric is again testing the boundaries of diplomacy and the patience of America’s allies.
