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President Donald Trump has doubled down on his controversial push for the United States to acquire Greenland at the World Economic Forum.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: Shortly after President Trump returned to office, he began calling for Greenland to become part of the United States, citing a mix of strategic, economic, and national security reasons. Trump has argued that as Arctic ice continues to melt, new trade routes are opening through the region that geopolitical rivals like China and Russia could exploit. He has openly warned that without greater US control or influence in Greenland, the area risks becoming militarized by foreign powers (specifically China and Russia), threatening global stability and American interests. Trump has also highlighted the island’s vast reserves of rare earth materials and the need to install advanced early warning systems in the Arctic to monitor potential missile threats. These proposals have repeatedly angered many in Greenland, where there is strong support for independence from Denmark and little interest in joining the United States.
What’s going on now: During his speech in Davos, Trump used the global stage of the World Economic Forum to press his case for Greenland, joking that aides had suggested he avoid the topic altogether. Trump said he has “tremendous respect for the people of Greenland and Denmark,” but argued that “the fact is no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland, other than the United States.”
Trump repeatedly framed his interest in Greenland as a security issue and denied that rare earth minerals were driving his push. “I want Greenland for security. I don’t want it for anything else,” he said, adding, “We have so much rare earth, we don’t know what to do with it. We don’t need it for anything else.” He dismissed suggestions that the island’s mineral wealth was a practical incentive, saying extraction would require going “25 feet down through ice,” making it unrealistic and secondary to strategic concerns about the Arctic and global stability.
On the question of military force, Trump struck a more measured tone than in past comments, ruling out the use of force while still emphasizing American leverage. “We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that,” he said. “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.” Instead, he called for negotiations, arguing that US control of Greenland would “only strengthen” the NATO alliance and improve collective security.
Trump also used his Davos appearance to broaden his critique of Europe, criticizing both economic and defense policies, and tying those critiques back to Greenland. He suggested Europe is ill‑equipped to protect the island and warned that without stronger US involvement, adversaries like China and Russia could exploit the region.
Expanding on that criticism, he lectured European leaders on their economic choices, deriding countries that buy wind turbines from China as “stupid” and saying some parts of Europe are “not even recognizable anymore.”
