President Trump had a special message on Tuesday night for the “incredible people of Greenland,” whose island he has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring — through a purchase or by force.
“We strongly support your right to determine your own future,” he said, briefly pausing during a speech to Congress to address Greenlanders directly. Then, with a confident nod, he added, “We will make you rich.”
Some members of Congress responded with a mix of applause, murmurs — and a few smiles. Greenlanders weren’t so enthused.
“It is up to us whether we become rich,” said Pele Broberg, the leader of one of Greenland’s major political parties.
Mr. Trump has been talking about acquiring Greenland, a large island in the Arctic Ocean, since his first term, but this was the first time he addressed the island’s 56,000 residents so directly and prominently.
“It’s a very small population but very, very large piece of land and very, very important for military security,” he told lawmakers.
And, he added, “I think we’re going to get it — one way or the other, we’re going to get it.”
Mr. Trump’s comments — and his open desire to obtain Greenland — come just as the island is weighing an unrelated decision about its own sovereignty. Denmark colonized Greenland 300 years ago and, while it has devolved some authority to the island over the last half century, it still controls key aspects of the island’s governance.
Next week, Greenlanders will vote in a parliamentary election that could be one of the most decisive in their history. Several leading Greenlandic politicians have openly called for independence, but the pace — and even the certainty — of that process will depend on the election’s outcome. Some parties are pushing for swift action, while others support a more gradual approach or not severing ties with Denmark at all.
“It’s just completely wild,” said Nino Bronlund, a student teacher, about Mr. Trump’s claim that America would “get” Greenland.
“It’s only about money and security,” he said, speaking as he was walking to school in the capital, Nuuk. “I don’t like it.”
Anne-Katrine Nielsen, a senior assistant at Greenland’s police force, said she was also shocked by Mr. Trump’s speech.
“He doesn’t care about the people,” she said. “He is only after our uranium, our mines and our strategic location in the world. We are right in the middle of everything, so I believe that’s what he wants.”
Greenland has enormous untapped resources, including rare earth minerals that are vital to high-tech industries and have attracted feverish geopolitical competition. Vice President JD Vance has spoken of Greenland’s “incredible natural resources,” and Republican senators recently held a hearing on “Greenland’s Geostrategic Importance.” But extreme weather, fired-up environmentalists and other factors have tempered hopes of a bonanza.
During his first term, Mr. Trump floated the idea of the United States buying Greenland from Denmark, which essentially said no way. This time around, Mr. Trump has taken a harsher tone, saying that he wouldn’t rule out using force to take over the island.
Greenlanders on Wednesday said they were getting sick of hearing this.
“He said, ‘One way or the other, we will have it,’ and every single Greenlander will fight with everything we have to make sure that does not happen,” said Pipaluk Lynge-Rasmussen, the chairwoman of the parliament’s foreign policy and security committee. “We have said it before, and we are saying it again — we want to govern ourselves.”
