Donald Trump says US ‘must have’ Greenland for ‘national security’ – National
US President Donald Trump is renewing his efforts to control Greenland so that his country is safe – again.
“We need Greenland for our national security, not the minerals…. If you look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for our national security. We have to have it,” Trump told reporters Monday at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.
Trump also clarified that the US is not interested in Greenland for its mineral wealth.
“We have a lot of mineral deposits and oil and everything. We have more oil than any other country in the world,” Trump said. “We’ll have to fix everything.”
On Sunday, Trump said he named Gov. Jeff Landry is Louisiana’s special envoy to the Arctic island to “lead the charge.”
“I am pleased to announce that I am appointing the Lt. Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as America’s special envoy to Greenland,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Jeff understands how important Greenland is to our National Security, and he will advance our Nation’s interests in the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and the rest of the world. Congratulations Jeff.”
Landry thanked Trump on X, writing, “It is an honor to serve in this voluntary capacity to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana.”
On Monday, the US president said Landry had approached him about being nominated as ambassador.
“He’s a salesman. He’s a deal maker,” Trump said.
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said Monday that Trump decided to create the special envoy role because the administration views Greenland as “the most important place in the Arctic to maintain peace.”
The Trump administration put more pressure on Copenhagen on Monday, when it suspended the hiring of five large offshore wind projects being built on the US east coast, including two being developed by Denmark’s state-owned Orsted.
Trump’s announcement to appoint a special envoy is fueling criticism from Denmark and Greenland over Washington’s interest in the mineral-rich Arctic island.
Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, told Danish broadcasters that he would call the US ambassador to his ministry about his appointment to “again make it clear that there are lines being crossed here, but also to get an explanation.”
“I am saddened by the appointment of a special envoy. And I am very saddened by the statements of the envoys, which we find totally unacceptable,” said Lokke Rasmussen.
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“Besides, there is a special representative of the president of the United States, who, according to him, has been given the task of taking over Greenland. This is absolutely unacceptable.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a joint statement about Trump saying the US needs Greenland for “national security.”
“We have said it before. Now, we say it again. National borders and state sovereignty are based on international law,” said Frederiksen and Nielsen. “It’s a basic principle. You can’t take over another country. Even with the argument about international security.”
“Greenland belongs to Greenlanders and the US will not take Greenland,” they added in an emailed statement from Frederiksen’s office. “We expect to be respected for the integrity of our shared space.”
Nielsen from Greenland also released a statement on Monday after Trump’s appointment, writing, “We woke up again with a new statement from the American president, who has appointed a Special Ambassador to Greenland. It may sound important. But it doesn’t change anything for us here at home.”
“Our future is decided by us. Greenland is our country. We have our democracy, our decisions, and a strong society that stands strong. Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland, and the integrity of the land must be respected,” he added.
“We are happy to cooperate with other countries, including the United States, but this must always be done with respect for us and our values and aspirations, there is no reason to worry.
Nielsen also shared a post on Facebook, saying he was “sad, because in a press conference tonight the American president once again expressed the desire to take Greenland.”
“With words like these, our country has been reduced to a question of security and power. This is not the way we see ourselves, and it is not the way we in Greenland can talk or should be talked about,” he continued.
“We are a people with a long history, strong traditions and a vibrant democracy. We are a country that is responsible for our environment and our future.”
Nielsen said Greenland’s “territorial integrity” and “right to self-determination” are “based on international law and cannot be ignored.”
“So I also thank you, thank you, my friends, for the clear support and solidarity shown. The calmness and dignity with which you have met this situation sends a clear sign of people who stand firm in their values and commitments,” he added.
“Greenland is our country. This is where our decisions are made. And at any time I will fight for our freedom and our right to govern ourselves and shape our future.”
Trump has long advocated for Greenland to become part of the United States.
Trump first expressed his interest in Greenland in 2019 during his first term in office. He said Greenland was “hurting Denmark a lot” and costing US $700 million a year. His solution was for the United States to acquire Greenland, calling it a “big real estate deal.”
Last December, Trump renewed unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the US to buy Greenland, the world’s largest island, from Denmark.
“For the purpose of National Security and Liberty around the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he wrote.
Greenlandic and Danish officials have made it clear that they want nothing to do with what Trump is proposing.
Denmark’s Frederiksen said in January that “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.” The island is “not for sale,” he said, adding that “we need to stay calm and stick to our principles.”
In January, Danish politician Anders Vistisen didn’t hold back when he issued a public message to Trump about his platform to make Greenland part of the United States.
“Dear President Trump, listen carefully,” Vistisen told the European Parliament. “Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It is an integral part of our country. It is not for sale.”
Vistisen continued to use profanity that got him into trouble with the entire European Parliament.
“Let me put it in words you might understand,” he said. “Mr. Trump, f–k off!”
The former prime minister of Greenland, Múte Bourup Egede, also confirmed in March that Greenland cannot be bought, in response to Trump, who said that the United States would acquire the territory “somehow” during his speech to Congress.
“Kalaallit Nunaat is ours,” Egede wrote on Facebook, using Greenlandic for “Land of the People” or “Land of the Greenlanders.”
“We don’t want to be Americans, or Danes; we are Kalaallit [Greenlanders]. The American people and their leader must understand that. We are not selling and will not be taken away. Our future will be decided by us in Greenland,” he added in his post.
When Greenland’s current prime minister, Nielsen, took office in March, he dismissed Trump’s claims that America would manage the island’s territory.
“President Trump says the United States will ‘get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to others. We decide our own future,” said Nielsen in a Facebook post.
“We must not act out of fear. We must respond with peace, dignity and unity. And it is with these values that we must clearly, clearly and calmly show the American president that Greenland is ours.
“It was like this yesterday. It is like this today. It will be like this tomorrow.”
– In files from the Associated Press and Reuters
