President Trump is once again saying out loud what a lot of foreign policy “experts” prefer to whisper, if they think it at all. On Monday, President Trump flatly stated that the United States needs Greenland, not for resources, not for some corporate scheme, but for national security. And predictably, the pearl clutching began immediately.
“We need Greenland for national security,” President Trump said, brushing aside the media’s favorite talking point about minerals. “Not for minerals. We have so many sites for minerals and oil. We have more oil than any other country in the world.” Then he got to the part that actually matters. If you look at Greenland’s coastline, he said, you see Russian and Chinese ships everywhere. That is not a conspiracy theory, that is basic geography mixed with modern reality.
Greenland sits right between North America and Europe, smack in the middle of an Arctic region that is becoming more valuable and more contested every year. As ice melts and sea lanes open, Russia and China are not sending cruise ships. They are projecting power. Greenland also sits on the shortest missile routes between Russia and the United States. Anyone pretending that does not matter should not be anywhere near a national security briefing.
Trump’s comments came after he appointed Jeff Landry as U.S. special envoy to Greenland. Landry called it an honor and made clear it would not affect his role as governor. That alone sent European leaders into a panic. Denmark and Greenland’s leadership rushed out joint statements about sovereignty and international law, as if Trump had already ordered the Marines to pack parkas.
Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he was “very upset” and even summoned the U.S. ambassador, Ken Howery, for an explanation. Greenland’s prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen insisted Greenland belongs to Greenlanders. That is all very dramatic, but it sidesteps the real issue. The Arctic is becoming a strategic battlefield whether anyone likes it or not.
This is not a new idea for Trump. He has been saying for years that Greenland is critical to U.S. and international security. Even during a visit by JD Vance earlier this year, Trump reiterated that the United States cannot simply do without Greenland. And he is right. The U.S. already opened a consulate there back in 2020, which quietly acknowledged its importance.
Critics love to mock Trump for saying things bluntly, but blunt does not mean wrong. Russia and China understand geography. Trump understands it too. The difference is he is willing to say it out loud. Greenland is not about imperialism. It is about keeping America safe in a world that is getting colder, more competitive, and far less polite.
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