Trump’s stated reasons for taking Greenland are wrong – but the tactics fit with the plan to limit China’s economic interests

A 1951 defense agreement between the United States and Denmark allows the US to build military installations on Greenland to protect the region.

By: Steven Lamy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 20, 2026

Words: 1,277

Last Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago

By Steven Lamy, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

In 2019, during his first term, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed a desire to buy Greenland, which has been a part of Denmark for some 300 years. Danes and Greenlanders quickly rebuffed the offer at the time.

During Trump’s second term, those offers have turned to threats.

Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social in late December 2024 that, …

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