President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the US will control Greenland “in some way.”
Speaking to a joint session of Congress in Washington, Trump said “We have a message to the incredible people of Greenland tonight.”
“We strongly support your right to determine your own future. If you choose, we welcome you to the United States,” he said midway through his 90-minute speech.
Trump also pledged to the Greenlanders that America “keep you safe, we make you rich, together, we’ll take Greenland to such heights you’ve never thought of before.”
But during the warm wishes, Trump’s tone changed. He once again insisted that controlling the ice-covered Arctic lands of the US was important to national security.
“We need Greenland for national and international security and we are working with all involved to get it,” Trump said.
“But we really need it for international, the safety of the world. I think we’ll get it. Either way, we’re going to get it,” he said.
On January 7th, 2025, businessman Donald Trump Jr. arrived in Nouk, Greenland, and was working with the aircraft.
Emil Stacher | AFP | Getty Images
“It’s a very small population, but very large land. And it’s very important to military security,” the president concluded before moving on to another topic.
The somewhat dreadful appeal to the Greenlanders was unexpected. However, it was rarely unprecedented.
Trump has long been obsessed with the strategic importance of glacial islands, and he has repeatedly suggested that the US should buy autonomous territory.
In January, his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., made a very public announcement of Greenland’s capital and filmed a podcast video.
The trip was billed as a personal visit, but the president’s social media posts had strong political overtones.
“My rep has landed in Greenland with Don Jr.,” Trump wrote about his son’s visit to Nook.
“The reception was amazing. They and the free world need safety, security, strength and peace! This is a deal that must happen. Maga. Make Greenland great again!” he added.
Denmark has vehemently rejected Trump’s overture on the island’s acquisition, which dates back at least to 2019.
Trump’s interest in the island is more than just personal. It is also part of a broader national security strategy focused on countering the powers of Russia and China in the Arctic.
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