Greenland is the world's largest non-continental island and has captured capacity rents on President Donald Trump's mind.
Since 2019, Trump has floated the idea of the United States acquiring Greenland, a sovereign territory of Denmark, in the name of American national security and economic interests. The idea was short-lived when Trump first brought it up, but it came back with force late last year.
Trump's proposal took on a more urgent tone during a Jan. 7 press conference at Mar-a-Lago, when he refused to rule out the idea of using military force to wrest control of Greenland. I accepted.
More recently, Trump reportedly spoke with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a “terrifying” call that threatened tariffs, according to the Financial Times. “The intention was very clear. They want it. The Danes are in crisis mode now,” one European official told the Financial Times.
The renewed enthusiasm behind Trump's push to acquire Greenland is driven, at least in part, by its clear geopolitical significance. Greenland rests among major transport routes that are becoming increasingly important as ice sheets melt and new trade routes emerge, and is home to major deposits of oil, gas and rare earth minerals essential to everyday technology. It's above.
Greenland is also at the forefront of the ongoing Arctic power struggle, as Russia and China increase their trade, mining and military presence in the region.
Naturally, the leaders of Denmark and Greenland, which have their own parliaments and prime ministers separate from Denmark, have pushed back hard against U.S. expansionism and rejected Trump's overtures.
“We are not for sale and we are not a commodity,” Naaja H. Nathanielsen, Greenland's Minister of Business, Trade, Mineral Resources, Justice and Gender Equality, told Vox. “We are allies of the United States because we have many friends in the United States. But we are not Americans and we do not want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders.”
nathanielsen spoke I explained today Host Noel King on Greenland's growing strategic importance, how Greenlanders view Trump's rhetoric, and what America can do to actually work with the country.
Below are excerpts from the conversation, edited for length and clarity. There's more in the full podcast, so listen I explained today Get your podcasts wherever you want, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.
We imagine that many of our listeners have never been to Greenland. Can you tell me a little bit about what that feels like?
Well, I think a lot of people who come here are surprised by two things. One thing, of course, is the beauty of nature. Everything is vast and huge, mountains, fjords, etc. But the other thing, I think, struck a lot of people. I mean, it's very modern. I think you think of Greenland as being inhabited by a small number of people and not very active, but our cities look like many others. It is recognizable to many people.
And what kind of people are Greenlanders?
We are Inuit. We are indigenous people. So we think 90% of the population, most people here, are Greenlanders with Inuit roots. There are also many people from Scandinavian countries and Asia. However, the population is primarily made up of Inuit.
So we have a beautiful country with very modern cities. If someone is planning a visit and wants to know what's really important, what should they know?
Well, they should know that Greenland is a modern democracy and has our own government, our own parliament. There is a mineral sector. There is sightseeing. There is a fishing industry. So these are our main revenues. You should also know that Greenland's culture is very vibrant and rich, even though we only have 55,000 people. So there's a lot of music, a lot of theater, a lot of cultural activities. This is very impressive for such a small population.
Earlier in the show, we were reminded that Donald Trump has actually been talking about Greenland in a provocative way since 2019. Can I ask you what you thought when you first heard when he took your country to himself?
Well, I think at first I was surprised by the offer to buy Greenland. And we've been trying to understand what it is and the story behind it.
And what do you understand the story behind it?
We understand that it is a measure of national security for Americans. And we very much understand that, to some extent, Greenland is part of the United States' area of interest when it comes to national security. That's why we have a military base in Greenland.
And we understand that this is also important for monitoring the Arctic. Therefore, we agree to a military presence in Greenland. I agree with the idea of expanding monitoring of the Arctic. So, to some extent, we agree with what is being said, but that doesn't mean we want to be American. It means that we understand that Greenland is important to the United States from a national security perspective.
You are a government minister and you understand that diplomacy is a very important thing here. But I'm putting the shoe on the other foot, but as an American, if you're talking about other countries buying the US, I just want to be completely honest with you, I feel a little will harm.
Yes, but we are offended. And I think you also need to understand. As Inuit, we take things calmly. In other words, you won't help the situation by panicking. So we're not panicking, but we're trying to figure out what this is. The United States is a very large country compared to Greenland. We're only a few thousand people. So, of course, when the United States says something, we have to take it seriously. And we understand that sometimes politicians have to talk a big game and perhaps get their message across more for a domestic audience. So I'm just saying, we're on the receiving end and we don't like the rhetoric. I don't appreciate it. But we want to work with the messages that are being sent. I would like to understand how we can talk about this in a sensible way.
of course. And being important in a strategic sense and in an economic sense is never a bad thing. In many cases, that's a very good thing for the country.
fair enough! Which other countries have expressed interest in acquiring Greenland?
I don't think any other country is interested in acquiring Greenland. But we've seen a lot of changes over the last few years, for example, in Greenland's minerals, against a very sad background because of the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine, the pandemic that has shown us what's wrong with the supply chain. I feel that it is more emphasized across the board. The focus is on where minerals can be found and mined in countries that are responsible in terms of environment and governance. And Greenland is perfect like that. So we've seen an outpouring of interest. it's not the same [saying that] It's really showing itself with a lot of outside investment. For example, investment in the mineral sector is still lacking.
Perhaps the message to President Trump is: We actually welcome American investment.
We welcome American investment. We actually signed a contract with the former Trump administration in 2019. There we explored some of our possibilities together and had some projects together. And we've been trying for some time to get the Biden administration to extend or expand that agreement. Therefore, we are interested in doing business with the state. Of course, that doesn't mean we want to be American, but we want to work with the states in a business sense.
Donald Trump has said only a handful of provocative things about Greenland, but perhaps one of the most provocative things from where I sit in the United States is that he has said Greenland It means not excluding military force when trying to acquire it. First, do such stories make you nervous? Secondly, how does the country react to such things?
Well, of course this makes people nervous. We have kids who listen to the media and they say, “What's going on? Are the states going to come and occupy us?'' So it's very unfortunate rhetoric. So with this, my government really tried to communicate to the public. No, because I don't think our allies will occupy us. Of course not. I don't expect that from my allies. We are part of the Western Alliance. We are part of NATO. We are friends of the United States. We are a democracy and so is the United States. What we are trying to do is look beyond the rhetoric and see how we can work together after such statements.
I hear you say something that I think is very important, which is that Donald Trump is talking a lot. And we learned in his first four years that sometimes he was very serious and sometimes he was actually talking. He sometimes talks to distract himself from other things he is doing. Sometimes he just talks extensively and things break out. I think it's fair and true to say both of those things. Is there a feeling that perhaps this is not so serious?
I think there has been a real interest in Greenland in the United States for some time. So I think it's a fair assessment that he should be taken seriously about his desire to expand cooperation with Greenland in some way. I think that has to be taken very seriously. And as I understand it's not just one person. As I see it, it's a few people, a group of people who are interested in Greenland. We also see that there is also a proposed bill for the acquisition of Greenland.
So I don't think this is just one person saying something. Of course, you always have to take your president seriously when he says something, and so do we. That's the name of the game. But I get the feeling that there's more to it than just a story.
