Purchasing Greenland: Trump’s Fantasy or a Real National Security Stake for the United States?

Icebergs off the coast of Greenland near Uummannaq. Photo: Frédéric Lasserre

When President-elect Donald Trump reintroduced the idea of purchasing Greenland in December 2024—rekindling a proposal first mentioned in 2019—reactions ranged from mockery to incomprehension and indignation. Most critics dismissed the idea as another eccentric whim. However, history reveals that US interest in Greenland is far from new; it represents a strategy dating back over a century.

The political and legal dynamics surrounding the island have evolved significantly over time. Today, Greenland is autonomous and possesses the right to declare independence from Denmark. Donald Trump maintains that extending US sovereignty over the island is a fundamental issue of national security. He has even suggested the use of force to achieve this end, a threat repeated not only by the President but by various administration members, including Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller on January 6, 2026 and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Conversely, others have downplayed the necessity of military action, such as Vice President JD Vance in March 2025, who suggested Greenland would eventually align itself, or Secretary of State Marco Rubio on January 6, 2026, who characterized the military threat as mere rhetoric intended to pressure Denmark and Greenland. What are the objectives behind this American assertion of will over Greenland, which, rhetorically at least, extends to the idea of invading the territory of a NATO ally?

Frédéric Lasserre, Professor of Political Geography at Laval University (Quebec), heads the Quebec Council for Geopolitical Studies that publishes the journal Regards géopolitiques. He supervised several research projects on Arctic geopolitics and acted as ArcticNet Project Director from 2010 until 2015.