President Donald Trump summed up in two words why the U.S. needs to take over Greenland as he made clear it is going to happen.
Trump said the U.S. has to acquire the northern island to preserve ‘world peace.’
He made his comments as Vice President J.D. Vance was on a trip to the Danish territory on Friday.
Vance and his wife Usha are visiting the Pituffik Space Base, after the second lady’s plan to watch a dog-sledding race got scrapped.
‘We need Greenland,’ Trump said in the Oval Office. ‘Very importantly, for international security, we have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of, “Do you think we can do without it?” We can’t.’
Danish leaders have repeatedly said that Greenland isn’t for sale, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declaring the United States should respect the territory’s sovereignty.
But Trump said: ‘If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that. We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody else to take care of that situation.
He added: ‘And we’re not talking about peace for the United States. We’re talking about world peace. We’re talking about international security. And right now you look at it, you have warships all over the place going through, right along Greenland.’
He said the United States was ‘not going to let that happen.’
President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. needed to acquire Greenland, which is a territory of NATO ally Denmark, in order to achieve ‘world peace’
Vice President J.D. Vance took a day trip to the Danish territory on Friday, visiting Pituffik Space Base with his wife Usha
‘Or if it’s going to happen, we have to be protective of our country. And more important, really, protection, not only for our country, of the world,’ the president continued.
He said Greenland was ‘very important in modern day weaponry,’ more so than 100 years ago.
Part of the reason is due to climate change, which has made traversing the Arctic easier.
Trump pointed out that there are now more ‘water roadways.’
‘Some of those areas are opening up and they’re opening up – ice breakers out there – they’re opening up and by just nature, they’re opening up and they’re headed right into China, right into Russia,’ the president said.
‘And we have no choice,’ he reiterated.
The president’s infatuation with acquiring Greenland from Denmark started back in his first term – but was renewed during the 2024 transition.
During that time period, Donald Trump Jr. made a trip to the island – the world’s largest.
Vice President J.D. Vance tours the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base on Friday as President Donald Trump continued to say that the U.S. needed to acquire the Danish territory
Vice President J.D. Vance and Usha Vance made a day trip to Greenland on Friday. Houses are photographed in the town of Nuuk, Greenland
Vice President J.D. Vance (left) and his wife Usha (right) depart Greenland after spending several hours touring the Pituffik Space Base on Friday
His visit was considered one being made by a private citizen and he didn’t meet with any members of the government while there.
The Vances’ trip is being made in an official capacity.
‘The answer is, he’s there with his beautiful wife, Usha. They’re there right now,’ Trump said about the trip. ‘They landed a couple of hours ago and they will represent us well.’
He had been asked if the U.S. planned to bolster its military presence on the island.
‘But Greenland is very important for the peace of the world, not us, the peace of the entire world,’ Trump said.
‘And I think Denmark understands it. I think the European Union understands it. And if they don’t, we’re going to have to explain it to them.’
Vance and his wife Usha visited the Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland where it was -3 degrees Fahrenheit when they landed.
‘It’s cold as s**t here. Nobody told me,’ Vance said to US troops shortly after landing, prompting laughs in the audience.
Vance and his wife Usha were seen today jetting off for the Greenland visit
Danish leaders have repeatedly condemned Trump and the United States for expressing interest in Greenland.
But Vance had sharp criticism for Denmark for their failures to secure the region.
‘This has to happen, and the reason, I hate to say it, is because our friends in Denmark have not done their job in keeping this area safe,’ he said.
‘Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view, to keep the people of Greenland safe,’ he added.
During his visit, Vance was asked about the president’s desire to acquire Greenland.
‘Well, the president said we have to have Greenland, and I think that we do have to be more serious about the security of Greenland,’ he said.
‘We cannot just ignore this place, we can’t just ignore the president’s desires, but most importantly, we can’t ignore what I said earlier, which is the Russian and Chinese encouragement in Greenland.’
‘Our message is very simple,’ he continued. ‘Yes the people of Greenland are going to have self determination, we hope they choose to partner with the United States because we’re the only nation on earth that will respect their sovereignty and security.’
The Vice President and the second lady eat with soldiers at the Pituffik Space Base
The Vice President did not speak to the waiting cameras as he arrived on the island, instead entering an armored vehicle briefly after disembarking from Air Force Two.
Speaking to US troops at the base, he said it was a ‘pretty cool thing’ to be the first Vice President to ever visit Greenland.
He added: ‘The mission is really important, the Trump administration is really interested in Arctic security.
‘It’s a big issue and it’s only going to get bigger over the coming decades.
‘As you’ve heard, we have some interest in Greenland from the Trump administration, so we’re gonna talk a little bit about that with our friends in the media.’
Vance and Usha are being accompanied by National Security Advisor Mike Waltz – who recently admitted ‘full responsibility’ for accidentally adding a journalist to a group chat of senior officials discussing planned airstrikes in Yemen.
Also on the trip are Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Utah Senator Mike Lee and former Homeland Security Advisor Julia Nesheiwat, who is Waltz’s wife.
But the trip is viewed by Copenhagen and Nuuk as a provocation as Trump bids to annex the strategically-placed, resource-rich Danish territory.
The Vice President did not speak to the waiting cameras as he arrived on the island
Usha was to travel alone to Greenland with her son and attend a dogsled race in the town of Sisimiut
Speaking to US troops at the base, he said it was a ‘pretty cool thing’ to be the first Vice President to ever visit Greenland
Vance and his wife Usha were seen today jetting off for the Greenland visit
Extra police drafted in to monitor the planned protests
Initially, Usha was to travel alone to Greenland with her son and attend a dogsled race in the town of Sisimiut – but the visit was canceled and replaced with the military base tour instead after her team could not find locals willing to meet her.
Greenlanders also made clear that they would protest her presence at the event.
Trump has insisted the United States needs the vast Arctic island for national and international security, and has refused to rule out the use of force to get it.
Danish and Greenlandic officials, backed by the European Union, have insisted the United States will not get Greenland.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has denounced US plans to visit the Arctic island uninvited – for what was initially a broader visit to Greenlandic society – as ‘unacceptable pressure’ on Greenland and Denmark.
This morning she said the ‘whole situation of coming to visit when there is no government in place is not showing respect for an ally.’
She added: ‘It’s a shame, but now we have a government that needs to put on its work clothes.’