It’s happening again. President Donald Trump is once more fixated on Greenland, and this time, he’s taking it up a notch by refusing to rule out military force to claim the island. If this sounds absurd, that’s because it is. But in today’s political climate, absurdity does not stop policy from being pursued.
What is even more alarming is that this isn’t an isolated incident. President Trump’s Greenland obsession is part of a pattern—one we’ve seen in his talks about Mexico, too. His worldview is simple: If he wants something, he thinks he can take it, whether it’s land, resources, or power. It is the same authoritarian playbook we’ve seen time and again, treating entire nations and their people like obstacles in his grand vision of dominance. This should set off alarm bells for anyone concerned about the future of international relations.
Greenland: The Latest Target in Trump’s Empire Fantasy
Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark with around 56,000 inhabitants, and most of them live in the 20% of the country that is not covered by ice and snow. Most Greenlanders are part Inuit and part Danish, and the people made it clear that their land is not for sale. Yet Trump and his allies treat it like a monopoly property, which they can scoop up for strategic and economic gains. Their reasoning? Greenland is rich in rare earth minerals, a key resource the U.S. wants control over, and its location makes it a valuable military asset. But does that justify ignoring sovereignty and the will of its people? I don’t think so.
President Trump’s behavior towards Greenland echoes the same rhetoric he has used against Mexico. He has long talked about Mexico as if it’s merely an extension of U.S. territory, demanding that it “pay for the wall,” threatening military action at the border, and pushing for policies that treat the Mexican government as subservient to American interests. His approach to Greenland follows the same logic: if negotiations don’t go his way, he escalates the threat and refuses to rule out force.
A History of Exploitation and Trump Wants to Continue It
Trump Jr. recently visited Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland, parading in a PR stunt to sell Americans on Greenland as “state 51.” He even had locals don MAGA hats for a campaign video. But putting on a hat doesn’t mean a nation is ready to be annexed.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Mute B. Egede, has been pushing for more autonomy, not a hostile takeover. The people of Greenland don’t want a new colonial ruler. It has already endured colonial rule under Denmark, with lasting scars from forced modernization programs, non-consensual birth control procedures, and economic dependency. The idea that the U.S.—a country with its own history of mistreating Indigenous populations—would somehow be a benevolent new ruler is laughable.
This isn’t about “helping” Greenland. It’s about resources and power. Trump and conservative influencers like Charlie Kirk have framed Greenland as an economic goldmine, with Kirk boasting about "rubies the size of baseballs" and mocking environmentalists who oppose mining. But guess what? Greenlanders themselves voted against mining projects because of the potential environmental devastation.
The Bigger Picture: Trump’s Dictatorial Mindset
President Trump’s treatment of Mexico, Greenland, and even NATO allies follows a simple formula: If he wants something, he believes he’s entitled to it. His authoritarian tendencies have been on display for years, even praising Putin, threatening to jail political opponents, and now entertaining the idea of a military action over Greenland. His belief that the U.S. has the right to take over a country just because it serves American interests is a dangerous escalation of his already reckless foreign policy approach.
The U.S. should support Greenland’s self-governance and economic development, not treat it like a real estate transaction. Greenland is not for sale, and neither is Mexico.Trump's transactional, imperialistic mindset needs to be called out for what it is: a dictator's fantasy. What we need is a foreign policy that respects the sovereignty of other nations and seeks cooperation, not domination.
Sources
Abrahamian, Atossa Araxia. "The New Globalism: Trump’s Vision of Power and Deals Over Alliances." The Atlantic, 2025, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/national-globalism-trump/681718/.
"Canada, Panama, Greenland: Trump Stirs Global Unease with Territorial Remarks." The Times of India, 2025, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/canada-panama-greenland-trump-stirs-global-unease-with-territorial-remarks/articleshow/116633742.cms.
Liptak, Kevin. "Who Owns Greenland? Why Trump Wants Control of the Arctic Territory." USA Today, 7 Jan. 2025, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/01/07/who-owns-greenland-trump/77518561007/.
Poulsen, Regin Winther. "What Does Trump Want in Greenland?" Foreign Policy, 17 Jan. 2025, https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/17/trump-greenland-denmark-rare-earths-china-mining-independence/?utm_source=foreignpolicy&utm_medium=pdf&tpcc=fp_pdf.
Shuster, Simon. "Exclusive: Denmark’s PM Opens Up About Fiery Trump Call, Greenland, and NATO’s Future." TIME, 2025, https://time.com/7259818/exclusive-denmark-frederiksen-trump-greenland-interview/.
Valverde, Miriam. "Trump’s Claim That Mexico Would Pay for the Wall: A Fact-Check." Politifact, 2025, https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/trumpometer/promise/1397/build-wall-and-make-mexico-pay-it/.
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