Donald Trump has once again set his sights on Greenland. As he renews his push to bring the Arctic island into the US fold, Denmark is beefing up its military and extending conscription.
American President Donald Trump has not given up on his vision of bringing Greenland under his control. Speaking to the conservative broadcaster Real America’s Voice, he said the world’s largest island would be under US control before the end of his presidency.
Just a day later, he doubled down with another provocative post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“Greenland is important. Not from their standpoint, from our standpoint.”
— US President Donald Trump
At the same time, Denmark has stepped up its defence efforts. It has extended military service, expanded conscription to women and, for the first time, will deploy conscripts to Greenland.
Trump: Greenland is important
Trump returned to the issue on Friday during a phone interview on Friday with host Steve Gruber. Gruber reminded the president of his earlier prediction that Greenland would be under US control before Trump leaves the White House in 2029.
“You’ll be right. Greenland is important. Not from their standpoint, from our standpoint. You should make that bet,” Trump replied.
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Trump has long framed his ambitions as a matter of national security. He argues that the United States needs Greenland to keep pace with Russia’s and China’s growing influence in the Arctic. The island occupies a strategic position between North America and Europe.
The US military has operated Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, on the island for decades. The base plays a key role in missile early warning and space surveillance. Greenland also holds vast reserves of rare earth minerals and other strategic resources that modern technologies and the defence industry rely on.
Another message on social media
Trump did not stop at words. The very next day, he shared another image on Truth Social. The collage showed him peeking out from behind a Greenlandic town. The caption read simply: “Hello, Greenland!”
It was far from the first such post. In recent months, Trump has repeatedly used social media to remind followers of his interest in Greenland, making clear he has no intention of dropping the idea.
Copenhagen: Greenland belongs to Greenlanders
Danish and Greenlandic leaders have continued to push back against Trump’s remarks and repeated symbolic provocations. On Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen posted a photograph on Facebook with Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. The picture was taken at Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens.
“When he is faced with unreasonable demands, he stands firm. And so does Denmark. Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people. To no one else. Our partnership and our community are strong,” she wrote.
Mr Nielsen has consistently rejected any suggestion that Greenland could be sold or join the United States. Earlier this year, he stressed that Greenland is “not for sale” and that only its people can decide its future.
EU leaders have also thrown their support behind Denmark and Greenland. Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa have repeatedly underlined the EU’s full support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and for the Greenlandic people’s right to decide their own future.
Denmark strengthens its defences
Trump’s comments come as Denmark ramps up its armed forces. On Monday, around 1,600 new conscripts began an extended period of military service. The programme has grown from four months to eleven.
The reform, announced in 2024, also brings women into compulsory service for the first time. Denmark plans to increase annual conscription from around 5,000 recruits to 7,500 by 2033. Alongside longer training, the military is introducing new specialist units, including a drone platoon under the Special Operations Command.
Copenhagen says the changes reflect Europe’s worsening security environment, Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine and the Arctic’s growing strategic importance.
Conscripts head to Greenland for the first time
The military overhaul will also include a historic first. By the end of August, Denmark will send a company of more than 100 conscripts to Greenland, where they will spend a month taking over part of the operational workload from professional troops.
The deployment carries clear political weight as well as military significance. It comes as Trump continues to talk about taking control of the autonomous Danish territory.
At July’s NATO summit, Ms Frederiksen assured allies that Denmark stood ready to defend “every inch of Alliance territory, including our own”.
Why the island matters so much
Greenland is home to only around 57,000 people, yet its geopolitical importance has grown rapidly in recent years. Melting Arctic ice is opening new shipping routes and making previously inaccessible deposits of strategic minerals easier to reach.
That has intensified competition among the world’s major powers, led by the United States, Russia and China.
This is not Trump’s first attempt to acquire Greenland. During his first presidency in 2019, he proposed that the United States buy the island from Denmark.
Since returning to the White House, he has sharpened that rhetoric, repeatedly arguing that control of Greenland is a matter of US national security. Denmark and Greenland’s government, however, continue to insist that only Greenlanders have the right to determine the island’s future.
