Photo: Greenland's National Day celebrations in Sisimiut, Greenland, on the 21st of June 2010, the first anniversary of the Self Rule, taken by Algkalv (talk), Wikimedia Commons
Trump has not specified how, exactly, he would take over Greenland. Cash payment has been mentioned, and Trump has not ruled out military force. There is already one US air base in Greenland, due to its strategic location in intercepting any Russian military assets that may fly across the North Pole.
If Trump was to take over Greenland, it would not be the first time the US has acquired neighboring territory for “defense” purposes. In 1819, the United States “annexed” Florida from the weakening Spanish empire, and sent payment to Spain after annexation. The American motive was to crush the Seminole Maroons who were living in Florida and threatening to free the bondsmen and women in the South, which required additional warfare.
Annexing Greenland would likely have ripple effects. When the US purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, the United Kingdom quickly assembled their remaining North American provinces into the Dominion of Canada.
These expansions of the United States territory have always meant the addition of Indigenous people (Seminole Maroons and Indians, in the case of Florida; Native Alaskans in the case of Alaska) to the US population. Most likely, Greenlanders would become US citizens in Trump’s scenario and likely retain some cultural autonomy.
Still, it seems like Indigenous communities are being passed around like trading cards; mere objects in the game of Great Power Politics. Trump once suggested that (White) Norwegians would be the kind of immigrants the US should seek, but he never suggested annexing Norway itself to get its oil.
This author’s prediction is that the Greenlandic government may wrest independence from Greenland with the backing of the United States. The newly independent Greenland would then grant more mineral rights to the US and American companies, aiding in Greenland’s economic growth.
The Greenlanders themselves have increasingly desired more mineral development and feel the Danish government is holding them back. Young Greenlanders are avidly learning English and consuming US culture, and English aids their communication with other Inuit people in nearby Canadian Nunavut and Alaska.
One other question remains, is how will Trump pay for the “acquisition” of Greenland when currently his administration is so obsessed with cutting taxes?
Sources:
Rachel Triesman, “Red, White and Blueland: Trump’s Greenland Talks Spark some colorful proposals,” February 12, 2025, Npr.org.
