When President Trump first mentioned his interest in buying Greenland during his first term, the idea was met with derision. They are laughing out of the other side of their mouths now. According to the Financial Times, President Trump called Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who had a 45-minute call on January 15, only a week after Donald Trump, Jr. took "Trump Force One" on a Greenland junket (Donald Trump Jr. Goes to Greenland. What Is He Up To? – RedState), which was "fiery" and left the Danes "freaked out."
Five current and former senior European officials briefed on the call said the conversation had gone very badly.
They added that Trump had been aggressive and confrontational following the Danish prime minister’s comments that the island was not for sale, despite her offer of more co-operation on military bases and mineral exploitation.
“It was horrendous,” said one of the people. Another added: “He was very firm. It was a cold shower. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous.”
This is where the James Bond martini comes in.
Trump's unwavering stance on taking over Greenland, despite officials' repeated assertions that it's not for sale, has left many in Denmark and Greenland reeling.
At the heart of Trump's interest in Greenland lies its strategic importance for national security. The island is rich in minerals crucial for technology and defense, including rare earth elements used in mobile phones, electric vehicles, and weapons. With China dominating the global rare earth market, Greenland's reserves have become increasingly vital to the US.
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Greenland's location, straddling the shortest route between Europe and North America, makes it a critical spot for the US military and its ballistic missile early-warning system. As China and Russia expand their influence in the Arctic, the US seeks to maintain its dominance in the region.
The Euros and the New York Times have concluded that Trump is deadly serious.
I think Trump is largely right in his assessment.
Trump threatened in early January to impose duties on Denmark if it opposed him on Greenland. He also declined to rule out using military force to take control of the island.
“People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it but, if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security,” Trump said at a press conference days before taking office.
“I’m talking about protecting the free world,” he added. “You have China ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We’re not letting that happen.”
This is happening at a time when Greenlanders are beginning to agitate for a different governance arrangement with Denmark.
Múte Egede, Greenland’s prime minister, has repeatedly stressed that the island’s inhabitants want independence rather than US — or Danish — citizenship. But he has welcomed US business interest in mining and tourism.
If you really want to dig into the idea, I recommend Greenland During Trump 2.0: Is America Poised for an Historic Arctic Territorial Expansion? | The Arctic Institute – Center for Circumpolar Security Studies.
Quite honestly, I don't see how Greenland could sustain independence in the face of a concert Chinese effort to establish control (Vitkor Orban's Hungary allows uniformed Chinese police in Budapest). Our free association model is also showing weakness as China exerts influence there. The best arrangement would seem to be declaring Greenland to be a commonwealth (like Puerto Rico) or a territory (like Guam and the Virgin Islands). But no matter how it arrives, I think Greenland's internal politics, which has had the right to declare independence since 2009 and that option is favored by 64% of the population, and the geopolitics of our competition with China indicate that Greenland becoming US territory is inevitable.