POTUS ramps up rhetoric on taking Greenland
The president told reporters aboard Air Force One that Greenland should defer to the authority of the United States, rather than risk a takeover from China or Russia
by Summer Lane | January 12, 2026
President Donald Trump intensified pressure on Greenland as he seeks to acquire the massive, icy country amid an increased application of the Monroe Doctrine – looking to continually strengthen U.S. control over the Western Hemisphere.
“If we don’t take Greenland, Russia or China will, and I’m not letting that happen,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
When asked if there was anything Greenland could offer to satisfy his pursuit of the world’s largest island, he remarked, “I’d love to make a deal. It’s easier. But one way or another, we’re going to have Greenland.”
Greenland may be an afterthought for most Americans, but the country, while broadly known for being icy cold and largely uninhabited, is extremely rich in natural resources like rare earth minerals. It is also situated on the cusp of key shipping corridors in the Baltic and Arctic regions.
President Trump has made no secret of his intention to acquire Greenland. Last year, he sent his son, Donald Trump Jr., Sergio Gor, and the late Turning Point USA President Charlie Kirk on a trip to the territory amid rumblings of a potential purchase.
Although such a purchase has not yet panned out, the administration has suddenly upped the rhetoric on acquiring Greenland on the heels of a decisive victory over Venezuela, resulting in the arrest of Nicolas Maduro and the essential takeover of Venezuelan oil reserves by U.S. forces.
“Greenland, their defense, basically, is two dogsleds,” President Trump remarked to the press on AF1. “…In the meantime, you have Russian destroyers and submarines and China, [they have] destroyers and submarines all over the place – we’re not going to let that happen.”
According to Bloomberg, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with top diplomats from Denmark and Greenland this week amid America’s increasing intentions to gain control over the strategic territory.
Denmark has suggested that if the U.S. takes Greenland, it will be “the end” of NATO. Former US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith told the BBC that the situation could “risk breaking” the European Union.
Regardless, the Trump administration has made its position clear: Greenland is a national security priority, and after U.S. Operation Absolute Resolve, the world knows that America is not playing games.
Photo: Adobe Stock
