Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has told Donald Trump that the United States has no right to annex Greenland, after the US president said he “absolutely” needs the territory. Speaking on Sunday, Frederiksen said: “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish kingdom.”
Her remarks came amid a febrile atmosphere following the US bombing of Venezuela and capture of President Nicolás Maduro, which has revived fears of an American takeover of Greenland. Hours after Frederiksen’s statement, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”
Rightwing podcaster Katie Miller, wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted a map of Greenland draped in the US flag on X with the caption “SOON.” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen called the post “disrespectful” but said “there is neither reason for panic nor for concern. Our country is not for sale.”
Denmark’s ambassador to the US, Jesper Møller Sørensen, reposted Miller’s provocation with a “friendly reminder” of defence ties, adding: “We expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.” He noted that Denmark had committed $13.7bn in defence spending for 2025, which could be used in the Arctic.
Trump recently named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland. Landry welcomed Trump’s toppling of Maduro, saying he was “grateful to see a President finally take real action in the war on drugs.” Trump has refused to rule out military action to gain control of Greenland, saying “we need Greenland very badly” for international security.
