Just this week, as of early January 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump and his team have been weighing a bold — and alarming — plan: acquiring Greenland by any means necessary, including military force. 🧊🌎
On Tuesday, January 6, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Xinhua that “the president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.” She stressed that Greenland is “a national security priority of the United States” to deter rivals in the Arctic region.
Earlier, on Monday, January 5, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told CNN that “it is the formal position of the U.S. government that Greenland should be part of the U.S.” He added, “Nobody would fight the United States if we tried to seize Greenland.”
President Trump echoed that stance in a phone interview with The Atlantic on Sunday, January 4, saying, “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.” He hinted that sweeping military moves might follow recent actions in Latin America.
Over the weekend (Saturday, January 3), the United States forcibly seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro — a dramatic intervention that raised eyebrows worldwide. Hours later, Katie Miller, wife of Stephen Miller, posted on X a map of Greenland overlaid with the Stars and Stripes, captioned simply “SOON.”
Reactions were swift. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen fired back on Tuesday, January 6: “Our country isn’t something you can deny or take over because you want to. Very basic international principles are being challenged.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned, “If the U.S. chooses to attack another NATO member militarily, then everything stops, including NATO and thus the security established since the end of the Second World War.”
Later on Tuesday, leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark issued a joint statement: “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.” They underscored that Arctic security is vital for international and transatlantic stability, especially as NATO members boost their presence in the region.
Greenland, a former Danish colony, gained home rule in 1979. The 2009 Act on Greenland Self-Government expanded the island’s authority over domestic affairs, but Denmark still controls foreign, defense and security policy.
Casey Michel, head of the Human Rights Foundation’s Combating Kleptocracy Program, warned in Foreign Policy on Tuesday: “Annexing Greenland would be a strategic catastrophe for the United States. What alliance could survive something like this? What ally would ever trust the U.S. not to do the same?”
With alliances on the line and Arctic stakes higher than ever, the world watches: will Greenland become the next flashpoint in global power games? 🔥🛡️
Reference(s):
Trump weighs options to acquire Greenland including using force
cgtn.com
