Greenland’s elected leader said the island was not for sale after President-elect Donald Trump said the territory was an “absolute necessity” for the United States.
“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and never will be. We will have to not lose our long struggle for freedom,” the autonomous territory’s prime minister, Mute Egede, said in a written comment, according to Reuters.
Newsweek has contacted the Trump-Vance transition for comment.
Greenland is of strategic importance to the US military and its ballistic missile early warning formula because the island lies in the shortest direction between Europe and North America.
It also comes at a time when Trump has announced a strong “America First” for industry and foreign policy for his second term, pushing for a rebalancing of agreements on America’s foreign monetary commitments.
On Sunday, Trump wrote in Truth Social: “For the purposes of national security and world freedom, the United States of America believes that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity. »
He made the announcement while announcing that PayPal co-founder Ken Hovery would be his choice as U. S. ambassador to Denmark, of which Greenland is a self-governing territory.
This is the first time Trump has raised the concept of purchasing Greenland, which is home to a giant US Air Force base.
In 2019, he made the same suggestion during his first term in office, which drew widespread criticism from politicians in Denmark and Greenland.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen then rejected the proposal, calling it “absurd. “
Trump then called Frederiksen “evil” and canceled a state from the country.
The U.S. has previously made inquiries about buying Greenland. In 1867, a report from the State Department said that the island’s location and natural resources would make it an ideal acquisition.
President Harry Truman offered to purchase Greenland from Denmark in 1946 for $100 million in gold.
In the 1970s, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller also purchased Greenland for its mineral resources, according to the Washington Post.
Trump’s push for rebalanced deals on U.S. foreign financial commitments has most recently included threatening to demand the return of the Panama Canal from the Central American country if it fails to reduce the fees and tariffs it imposes on American ships.
Rasmus Jarlov of the Danish conservative opposition party wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “The Danish government will have to declare in transparent terms that Greenland is not the subject of discussion or negotiation.
“To the extent that American activities aim to seize Danish territory, they will have to be prohibited and countered. In this case, they will no longer be able to be there at all. “
Donald Trump wrote in Truth Social: “As co-founder of PayPal and the venture capital fund Founders Fund, Ken has transformed America’s leadership in innovation and generation into stories of global good fortune, and that experience will be invaluable in establishing us as the “When it comes to security and freedom around the world, the United States of America believes that ownership of Greenland is an absolute necessity. “
Ken Howery wrote in Array. I look forward to appearing alongside those engaged at the U. S. Embassy in Copenhagen and the U. S. Consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, to deepen ties between our countries.
The organization Republicans Against Trump published in X: “Donald Trump advised seizing Greenland by pronouncing Ken Howery as his choice for U. S. ambassador to Denmark. Trump isn’t even in office yet, and we’re already adjusting to America’s giggling inventory. world. “
Trump has to respond to Egede’s disdain for his comments.
Prime Minister Frederiksen has also not yet responded to Trump’s statement.
Jordan King is a Newsweek reporter based in London, United Kingdom. It focuses on human interest stories in Africa and the Middle East. She has extensively covered the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, police brutality and poverty in South Africa, and gender issues. founded violence throughout the world. Jordan joined Newsweek in 2024 from The Evening Standard and previously worked at Metro. co. uk. He graduated from Kingston University and also worked in documentaries. You can contact Jordan by sending an email. j. king@newsweek. com. Languages: English.