U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his calls for an American takeover of Greenland for the sake of U.S. security interests after a military operation captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Trump’s intention to oversee the governance of Venezuela has rekindled concerns in Denmark that Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, might face a similar scenario.
“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters on Sunday as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.
“You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It’s true. They thought that was a great move.”
(Denmark actually earmarked $4.2 billion of extra defence spending in 2025 to increase security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, including Greenland. An additional $4.5 billion was set to be spent on 16 more F-35 fighter jets from the U.S., reports the BBC.)
Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S. military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.”
“We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence,” Trump added.
Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted a photo of the territory covered with the American flag on X on Saturday, writing, “SOON.”
Greenland’s response to Trump’s threats
Greenland’s leader said “enough is enough” after Trump renewed his threats to take over the territory.
“Threats, pressure, and talk of annexation do not belong anywhere between friends,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Facebook on Sunday. “That’s not how you talk to people who have repeatedly shown responsibility, stability and loyalty.
“Enough is enough. No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation.”
Nielsen said Greenland is “open for dialogue” and “open to conversations.”
“But it has to be through the right channels and with respect to international law. And the right channels are not random and disrespectful posts on social media,” he continued. “Greenland is our home and our territory. And that’s how it continues to be.”
He also addressed the photo that Miller shared on social media, writing, “First and foremost, let me say calmly and clearly, that there is neither reason for panic nor for insecurity.”
“The photo shared by Katie Miller of Greenland being produced wrapped in an American flag doesn’t change anything. Our country is not for sale and our future is not determined by social media posts,” he wrote.
“But the picture is disrespectful. The relations between countries and people are based on respect and on international law and not on symbolic markings that ignore our status and our rights.
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“There’s no need to panic. But there’s good reason to speak up against the lack of respect.”
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Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, also responded to Miller’s photo, with a “friendly reminder” that Denmark expected “full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Sunday that U.S. comments about needing to take over Greenland made “absolutely no sense.”
“The United States has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Commonwealth. The Kingdom of Denmark – and thus Greenland – is part of NATO and is therefore covered by the alliance’s security guarantee,” Frederiksen said.
“We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the United States today, which gives the United States wide access to Greenland. And we, on the part of the Kingdom, have invested significantly in security in the Arctic.
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“I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale.”
On Monday, Frederiksen said that she believes Trump is serious about wanting to take over Greenland.
“Unfortunately, I think the American president should be taken seriously when he says he wants Greenland,” Frederiksen told public broadcaster DR. “I have made it very clear where the Kingdom of Denmark stands, and Greenland has repeatedly said that it does not want to be part of the United States.”
“If the United States attacks another NATO country, everything stops,” Frederiksen said.
Finland President Alexander Stubb took to social media, writing, “No one decides for Greenland and Denmark but Greenland and Denmark themselves.”
“Our Nordic friend Denmark and @Statsmin have our full support,” he added.
“The future of Greenland is for them and the Kingdom of Denmark – and for Denmark and the Kingdom of Denmark only,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday that Greenland belongs to Denmark and suggested NATO could discuss strengthening its protection if necessary.
Trump’s previous comments about Greenland
Trump has repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.
In December 2025, Trump said the U.S. is not interested in Greenland for its mineral wealth.
“We have so many sites for minerals and oil and everything. We have more oil than any other country in the world,” Trump said. “We’ll have to work it all out.”
But he did renew his desire to take control of Greenland for his country’s national security.
“We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals…. If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need it for national security. We have to have it,” Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.
Trump said he named Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry special envoy appointed to the Arctic island to “lead the charge.”
“I am pleased to announce that I am appointing the GREAT Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as the United States Special Envoy to Greenland,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World. Congratulations Jeff.”
Landry thanked Trump on X, writing, “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana.”
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Trump initially voiced his interest in Greenland in 2019 during his first term in office. He said Greenland was “hurting Denmark very badly” and costing it US$700 million a year. His solution was to have the United States acquire Greenland, calling it “a large real estate deal.”
In December 2o24, Trump renewed unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland, the world’s largest island, from Denmark.
“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout 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 made it clear at the time that they wanted nothing to do with what Trump was proposing.
When Greenland’s current prime minister, Nielsen, took office in March, he pushed back against Trump’s assertions that America would take control of the island territory.
“President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future,” Nielsen said in a Facebook post.
Warning delivered to Colombia
Trump, as he made his way back to Washington on Sunday evening, also put Venezuela’s neighbour, Colombia, and its president, Gustavo Petro, on notice.
Trump, in a back-and-forth with reporters, said Colombia is “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”
The Trump administration imposed sanctions in October 2025 on Petro, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade. Colombia is considered the epicentre of the world’s cocaine trade.
Trump began his months-long pressure campaign on Venezuela’s Maduro by ordering dozens of lethal strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats launched from the country into the Caribbean. The Trump administration eventually expanded the operations to also target suspected vessels in the eastern Pacific that came from Colombia.
The U.S. in September 2025 also added Colombia to a list of nations failing to co-operate in the drug war for the first time in almost 30 years. The designation led to a slashing of U.S. assistance to the country.
“He’s not going to be doing it for very long,” Trump said of Petro on Sunday. “He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He’s not going to be doing it.”
Asked whether he might order the U.S. to conduct an operation against Colombia, Trump replied, “It sounds good to me.”
— With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
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