In Nuuk, Greenland’s northernmost capital, a new political reality is taking shape as the Arctic nation prepares for parliamentary elections on March 11. The catalyst? U.S. President Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring the mineral-rich territory.
“Greenlanders don’t want to be Danish. Greenlanders don’t want to be American,” says 23-year-old Qooqu Berthelsen, a hunter and tour company owner. “Greenland is not for sale.”
This sentiment echoes across the island, home to 57,000 mostly Indigenous Inuit people. Many Greenlanders are both offended by Trump’s threats to seize control of their homeland and simultaneously energized by the international spotlight now focused on their independence aspirations.
The strategic importance of Greenland cannot be overstated. Global powers covet its Arctic location, rare earth minerals essential for telecommunications, billions of barrels of oil and emerging shipping routes as climate change continues to melt sea ice.
Some Greenlanders see opportunity in the chaos. “When Trump came to office, he wanted to talk to Greenlanders directly without going through Denmark,” explains Jørgen Boassen, a Trump supporter who has visited the White House. While he doesn’t want American citizenship, he desires stronger direct ties with the U.S. beyond Denmark’s colonial oversight.
The situation has created a political crisis in Denmark, with the prime minister touring European capitals seeking support while strengthening military presence around Greenland.
For many, the experience has been emotionally turbulent. “When that was happening, I felt like I was hit in the stomach,” says Qupanuk Olsen, a mining engineer running in the election. “It’s as if we were on sea ice and it started to break.”
Yet others appreciate the inadvertent platform Trump has provided. “Even though there are strong feelings of sadness, despair, confusion, I think we’re also stronger than ever,” notes Aka Hansen, an Inuk filmmaker. “We’ve been given a voice that’s being taken seriously.”
Denmark’s colonial history looms large in discussions about independence. Greenland, which gained self-rule in 1979, receives an annual grant of about $600 million from Denmark, but some leaders now see this as leverage rather than charity.
“It’s a historic moment for Greenland,” says Olsen. “Compared to two months ago when nobody was talking about independence, now, everybody’s talking about it.”
Read more: On a cold northern island, a mantra rises: ’Greenland is not for sale’
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