Why does Donald Trump want to buy Greenland?

Donald Trump has said he hopes to buy Greenland for ‘national security’ purposes, baffling experts and politicians alike.

In late January, he reinforced his desire to purchase the world’s largest island. ‘I think Greenland will be worked out with us. I think we’re going to have it,’ he said.

‘And I think the people want to be with us,’ he said.

Greenland has been under Danish rule since the 19th century and has a population of around 57,000.

Trump has had his sights set on the island as its location would benefit US national security, and it has natural resources that could become more easily accessible as ice is projected to melt over time.

But ‘buying’ the territory is not as easy as Trump has made it appear to be.

Who owns Greenland?

Greenland belongs to Denmark. Denmark started colonizing Greenland in the 1700s, and the latter has representatives which sit in the Danish parliament.

While Greenland has controlled its own internal affairs for decades, its foreign relations are still overseen by Denmark. Greenland has pushed for its independence recently.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a TV interview that ‘Greenland is not for sale’.

‘I want to make it very clear, that seen with the eyes of the Danish government, Greenland is for the Greenlandic people,’ said Frederiksen. ‘It is a very proud people, a language and culture, it is a people that is their own.’

Is Greenland part of NATO?

Yes. Greenland is a part of NATO, because it is a part of Denmark – which is a NATO member.

This means if Trump were to ‘not rule out military action’, as he’s previously said, and take Greenland by force, it could spark a war.

Article Five of the NATO treaty says if a member state is attacked, it’s considered an attack on all members – who will then assist the attacked member in the fight.

What is ‘Red White and Blueland’?

A Republican Congressman introduced legislation that would authorize Trump to enter into negotiations to acquire the autonomous territory of Denmark and rename it based on the US flag.

‘America is back and will soon be bigger than ever with the addition of Red, White, and Blueland,’ stated Rep Buddy Carter, 67, of Georgia.

‘President Trump has correctly identified the purchase of what is now Greenland as a national security priority, and we will proudly welcome its people to join the freest nation to ever exist when our Negotiator-in-Chief inks this monumental deal.’

The Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025 directs the Secretary of the Interior to oversee that Greenland is renamed in federal documents and maps within 180 days.

‘Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to Greenland shall be deemed to be a reference to
13 ‘‘Red, White, and Blueland’’.

The bill must first be studied by a committee before it can go for a vote in the House. It would then go to the Senate.

It is being considered by lawmakers even as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has repeatedly said that the Arctic island is ‘not for sale’.

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