President Donald Trump on Thursday reiterated his intention for the United States to take control of Greenland, stating that the U.S. "will go as far as we have to go" to secure the Arctic territory, drawing sharp criticism from Greenlandic and Danish leaders ahead of a scaled-down visit by Vice President JD Vance.
"We need Greenland for national security and international security," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "If we don't have Greenland, we can't have great international security." He added, "We need Greenland. And the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark."
The remarks follow renewed backlash over a planned U.S. delegation visit to the island, initially pitched as a cultural outreach tour that included stops in the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk and attendance at a dog sled race. The visit has since been pared back to a one-day stop at the remote Pituffik Space Base, hundreds of miles from population centers.
Vice President Vance, second lady Usha Vance, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz are expected to travel to the base, avoiding direct interaction with local communities following widespread discontent.
Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede condemned Trump's comments, writing on social media: "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders. We are not Americans, we are not Danes because we are Greenlanders. This is what the Americans and their leaders need to understand. We cannot be bought and we cannot be ignored."
Egede had earlier described the American diplomatic push as "very aggressive," and called on the international community to respond.
Trump, who first floated the idea of acquiring Greenland during his first term, again raised the issue in a March address to Congress, saying the U.S. would obtain the island "one way or the other." The territory, rich in rare-earth minerals and adjacent to strategic Arctic shipping routes, has been a longstanding focus of U.S. security planners.
Local resentment has mounted. "Why do you want to buy a human?" asked protester Tungutaq Larsen. "We are not for sale." Irene Thor Jeremiassen, a law student, said of JD Vance: "I didn't want to meet him." Demonstrations in Nuuk have grown in recent weeks, fueled by what many see as American disregard for Greenlandic sovereignty.
In Denmark, officials also pushed back. "These very powerful statements about a close ally do not suit the U.S. president," Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Thursday. "The tightened rhetoric is in every way far-fetched."
The diplomatic uproar over the Greenland visit comes as Usha Vance's initial itinerary was altered following JD Vance's last-minute decision to join the delegation. His inclusion sparked additional protests and led many local businesses to decline involvement in the trip.
Some Greenlandic leaders say the attention has spurred overdue debate on independence. "It has been like a huge wake-up call," said Qupanuk Olsen, a member of Greenland's parliament. Olsen's Naleraq Party supports a referendum on independence and closer ties with the U.S.-but not at the cost of sovereignty.
"We cannot avoid the U.S., so we need to learn to dance with the U.S.," Olsen said. "Right now I feel like the U.S. is forcing us to dance together. It would be so much nicer if they said, 'Would you like to dance?'"
Olsen suggested Greenland should engage other international partners, including Canada and European nations, as it reconsiders its future. While opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the U.S., the controversy has also sparked discussion about expanding trade and tourism ties, which many believe could support economic self-sufficiency.
Anders Laursen, who owns a water taxi company in Nuuk, said the U.S. approach had deeply altered perceptions. "Growing up you see Hollywood movies, all the heroes, and then you feel backstabbed," Laursen said. "now it's like the big brother in bullying you." He added that while more American visitors were good for business, Trump's idea "was not funny anymore."
