Why Donald Trump Wants to Buy Greenland [Video]

President-elect Donald Trump has revived his controversial interest in purchasing Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory known for its vast natural resources and strategic geopolitical location.

Trump has called Greenland essential for U.S. “national security purposes” and hinted at using military or economic pressure to bring the world’s biggest island under American control.

Why It Matters

Trump’s push for Greenland aligns with his self-described “America First” policy framework, which has increasingly focused on securing critical resources and asserting U.S. dominance over Canada and the Panama Canal.

At a recent press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump reminded his followers of his intentions, initially expressed during his first term in 2019. He’d previously floated the idea of purchasing the island, which Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called “absurd,” leading Trump to cancel a planned visit to Denmark that same year.