The United States' recent military bombardment of Venezuela and the capture of its president, Nicolás Maduro, has ignited fresh international alarm over potential American designs on Greenland. Figures within Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) movement have swiftly turned their attention to the strategically vital Danish territory in the wake of the South American intervention.
Provocative Posts and Diplomatic Rebuttals
Within hours of the Venezuela operation, a highly provocative social media post set the tone. Right-wing podcaster Katie Miller, who is married to Stephen Miller, a key Trump adviser, shared an image on X of Greenland covered by the American flag, captioned simply: "SOON."
The implied threat to annex the mineral-rich territory, which is part of the NATO alliance, triggered immediate outrage in Denmark. Copenhagen's ambassador to the US, Jesper Møller Sørensen, issued a pointed response, reposting Miller's message with what he termed a "friendly reminder" of the deep defence ties between the nations.
"We are close allies and should continue to work together as such. US security is also Greenland's and Denmark's security," Sørensen stated. He emphasised that Denmark had committed $13.7 billion (£10.2bn) in increased defence spending for 2025, resources applicable in the Arctic and North Atlantic. He concluded firmly: "And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark."
A Pattern of Expansionist Rhetoric
This incident is not isolated. Since returning to office a year ago, President Trump has repeatedly unsettled European allies with his interest in Greenland, valued for its defence positioning and untapped mineral wealth. The territory hosts the US's northernmost military base, Pituffik, which Trump's vice-president, JD Vance, toured with his wife Usha in March last year.
Trump has consistently refused to rule out forceful action. In a May interview with NBC, when asked about a potential takeover, he said: "I don't rule it out. I don't say I'm going to do it, but I don't rule out anything... We need Greenland very badly." He added that Greenland's small population would be "taken care of" and "cherished."
Adding to the tension, Trump recently appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland. Landry, who thanked Trump for the "volunteer position" in December, stated his goal was "to make Greenland a part of the US." Following the Venezuela attack, Landry praised Trump's actions, linking them to the war on drugs.
Local Opposition and Strategic Concerns
The escalating rhetoric has caused profound disquiet in Greenland itself and a significant shift in Denmark's security assessment. Last month, the Danish Defence Intelligence Service took the dramatic step of labelling the US a security risk, a stark change in transatlantic relations.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Premier, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a joint, unequivocal statement: "We have said it very clearly before. Now we say it again. National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law … You cannot annex other countries."
Public opinion in Greenland is firmly against such a move. A poll in January indicated that while a vast majority of the island's 57,000 inhabitants desire independence from Denmark, there is no appetite to become part of the United States.
Analysts are now taking the threats more seriously. Jennifer Kavanagh of the thinktank Defense Priorities noted, "It wouldn't be that hard for the US to put a couple hundred or a couple thousand troops inside of Greenland, and it's not clear to me who could do anything about it." This sentiment underscores the growing fear that what was once dismissed as mere sabre-rattling could evolve into a tangible crisis in the Arctic, where the US, Russia, and China are already vying for influence.
