Trump's Greenland obsession: What's driving the acquisition push?

 

Tasiilag, East Greenland. Photo credit: pixabay.com

Greenland, the world's largest island, is located between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Large ice sheets, glaciers, and rough terrain set this autonomous province within the Kingdom of Denmark apart. It spans more than 2.166 million square kilometers.

 

As mentioned above, for decades, the island has been under Denmark; therefore, what would make US President Donald Trump suddenly want to buy this stunning natural beauty with unique features from the Danish government? Why would the US government waste its time on something that will not benefit it?

 

There were only 56,669 residents on the enormous island as of January 2024. More significantly, 2,300 of Greenland's residents are foreigners, and the capital city of Nuuk is home to one-third of the population. Every nation has a history, and Greenland's is convoluted and ambiguous.

 

The Canadian Inuit people lived on the island in the middle of the third millennium BC. People from Northern Europe began exploring the region in the ninth century. The region's current name was given by an Icelandic explorer at that time. However, the Europeans were forced to evacuate the location six millennia later when the island was struck by extremely cold temperatures and ice development.

 

"Following Denmark's occupation of the island in 1721, Lutheran missions and monopolistic trading colonies started to spring up in Greenland. The territory was closed to outside commercial relations for over 30 years. However, to safeguard North Atlantic logistics and keep the Nazis from capturing Greenland, the United States seized the island during World War II.

 

When the war came to an end, Greenland was once again under Danish rule, with the Americans in charge of the military installation they had established; however, due to local discontent, they relaxed their colonial demands. In 1951, trade restrictions were lifted, and after two years, the island was granted full county status within Denmark, which resulted in advancements in housing, transportation, and education.

 

Denmark became a member of the European Union in 1973. Residents of the island thought that this invention would hurt the local fishing industry's ability to grow economically. Consequently, Greenland gained internal autonomy six years later and was kicked out of the European Union three years later.

 

The resources and economy of Greenland in 2025

 

The fishing industry is responsible for about 90% of the nation's exports and about one-third of its domestic regional product. The island's economy also heavily depends on the transportation, telecommunications, and construction industries. Additionally, the nation's economy depends on tourism, seal hunting, and whaling.

 

With 66% of Greenland's imports and 85.8% of its exports, Denmark is regarded as the country's main trading partner. Today, who owns Greenland? From a political viewpoint, the region is still formally a part of Denmark. The region is a component of the Kingdom of Denmark's Greenland autonomous administrative unit, together with the minor neighboring islands.

 

What is the reason for Trump's desire to acquire Greenland?

 

Donald Trump, the elected president of the United States, made a shocking announcement on his social media platform Truth Social on January 6, 2025. The politician claims that if and when the island joins the US, it will be extremely beneficial.

 

Although Trump acknowledged that Americans are prepared to defend Greenland "to cherish it from a very scary outside world" and did not rule out using force to seize the island, why was America in such dire need of it? We need to find out the evident reasons for the US’s decision.

 

The U.S. military and economy depend on 50 minerals, including copper, lead, zinc, silver, palladium, uranium, niobium, graphite, and tantalum, of which 43 are easily found in Greenland. These minerals are now supplied to the United States by China, but ties between the two countries are getting worse every year.

 

An excellent substitute for easing traffic in the Suez Canal is the route across the Arctic. Considering indications of an increase in the number of ships in the vicinity from China and Russia, this measure is particularly pertinent for the United States.

 

The Danish government made significant changes to its coat of arms, including enlarging the polar bear, which is regarded as Greenland's emblem. Mette Frederiksen, the Prime Minister of Denmark, stated that the island is not for sale.

 

In my opinion, this island of tundra, shrubs, and moss-lichen, which are representative of the fauna and flora as well as species of animals, such as walruses, bowhead whales, seals, eiders, white grouse, seagulls, Atlantic cod and salmon, sharks, polar bears, musk oxen, reindeer, polar bears, Arctic wolves, lemmings, Arctic foxes, and more, will be under Danish rule for all time.