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President Donald Trump and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reportedly had a tense phone call days before Trump took office.
Some shit you should know before you read: Shortly after winning the presidency, President-elect Donald Trump began advocating for the acquisition of Greenland, citing its importance to US national security and economic interests. He argued that Greenland’s strategic location in the Arctic makes it a key point for monitoring Russian naval activity and maintaining NATO’s defensive posture. Additionally, Trump emphasized the island’s abundance of valuable natural resources, including minerals essential for manufacturing technologies like electric vehicles and military equipment, as key reasons for its integration into the US.
What’s going on now: According to the Financial Times, citing senior European officials, President Donald Trump and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen engaged in a tense 45-minute phone call just days before Trump assumed office. During the call, Trump aggressively insisted that the US needed to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, arguing that it was vital for national security due to rising Arctic competition with Russia and China. The conversation reportedly turned confrontational when Frederiksen reiterated Greenland’s autonomy and rejected the idea of a sale. She emphasized that Greenland’s status was for its own people to decide while offering alternative solutions, such as increased military cooperation and economic partnerships, which Trump dismissed.
Officials described the call as “horrendous” and said Trump threatened specific punitive measures, including targeted tariffs against Denmark if his demands were not met. Trump also refused to rule out the use of military force to secure Greenland, alarming European allies and raising concerns about the stability of US-Danish relations.
Notably, Frederiksen’s office has disputed the officials’ characterization of the call but confirmed that she had reiterated Denmark’s stance on Greenland’s autonomy and proposed strengthened cooperation in other areas.
