Donald Trump Turns Focus To Greenland

It looks like Donald Trump is serious about acquiring Greenland. He is determined to make the world’s largest island part of the US, completely ignoring the fact that the people living there and the Danish government are firmly against the idea. Trump has been talking about acquiring Greenland since his first term. He has escalated the situation significantly since coming back to the White House, most recently by tapping Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on December 21 to serve as his special envoy to the Danish Arctic island.

Trump is pushing back against the idea that he just wants Greenland for its resources. On Monday, he argued that this is actually about national defence. He described the coastline as being crowded with Russian and Chinese vessels and claimed that the US needs the island to counter that threat, rather than for its resources. He has kept the door open to using military power, remarking in March that Washington would push the issue as far as necessary. Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, is geographically tied to North America, and its capital is nearer to New York than to Copenhagen, a fact that often comes up in the debate.

Jeff Landry, the new special envoy, said he was honoured to take on a role focused on bringing Greenland into the US. His comments have added to worries in Denmark about what the White House is really planning. Greenland’s Prime Minister, Nielsen, said the island has no issue working closely with the US and is open to a stronger American security presence in the Arctic if needed. But he made it clear that this openness should not be confused with consent to outside pressure, later saying that trying to take control of a place that has its own people and its own authority crosses a line.

Trump has repeatedly said Greenland matters because of where it sits on the map. The US is looking at placing radar systems in nearby Arctic waters to monitor ships moving through the region, particularly those linked to Russia and China. The island also has a lot of valuable minerals, like rare-earth elements used in electronics and clean energy, as well as metals such as uranium and zinc. There may also be oil and gas, but strict rules keep most of it untapped.

Observers point out that special envoys are rare; they aren't just appointed for no reason. Creating a specific role dedicated to taking control of the island shows that this issue has moved to the very top of the administration's agenda.