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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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President Donald Trump has said the U.S. will revisit its stance on Greenland in the coming weeks.
Asked if he expected to take action on the strategic island, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday: "Let's talk about Venezuela, Russia, Ukraine. We'll worry about Greenland in about two months. Let's talk about Greenland in 20 days."
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Trump added that the U.S. needs Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory and part of Denmark, "from the standpoint of national security," and that Denmark "is not going to be able to do it."
Denmark's government, which controls the territory's foreign affairs and defense, has told the White House to "stop the threats."
Newsweek reached out to the Danish foreign ministry on Monday.
Why It Matters
President Trump has long coveted Greenland—the vast, sparsely populated territory is rich in minerals and hosts the U.S. space base of Pituffik, which is key for detecting long-range missiles bound for the U.S. mainland.
Yet so far, Trump's remarks have largely only hightened tensions between Washington and Denmark, a NATO country like the U.S., with Danish and Greenlandic officials repeatedly hitting back at U.S. overtures.
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What To Know
Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said on Sunday it "makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland."
"The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom," Frederiksen said, referring to Denmark, Greenland and Faroe Islands.
Katie Miller, a longstanding MAGA voice and the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted an image to social media on Saturday that showed the American flag overlaid on an outline of Greenland with the caption "SOON." Miller's post came shortly after U.S. action in Venezuela to capture President Nicolás Maduro.
Jesper Møller Sørensen, the Danish ambassador to the U.S., directly responded to the post with a plea for Washington to "respect" Denmark's territory.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen switched from statements largely playing down tensions with the U.S. to condemn on Sunday what he called "completely and utterly unacceptable" U.S. rhetoric.
"This is enough," Nielsen said. "When the president of the United States talks about 'we need Greenland' and connects us with Venezuela and military intervention, it's not just wrong. This is so disrespectful."
The U.S. launched an extensive operation in the early hours of Saturday, bombing several locations in Venezuela and capturing Venezuelan leader Maduro, along with his wife, Cilia Flores. Both were brought to New York and Maduro is expected to appear in court on Monday. He is facing multiple charges, including narco-terrorism.
Unlike Venezuela, Denmark's NATO status means an armed attack on one state is treated as an attack on all members of the alliance. The U.S., NATO's dominant member, attacking another alliance state has long been considered inconceivable.
Jeff Landry, the Louisiana Governor appointed by Trump as the administration's special envoy for Greenland last month, said in his first remarks on his new position he intended to "make Greenland a part of the U.S."
What People Are Saying
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Sunday she would "strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale."
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Sunday: "No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation."
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, visiting Greenland in March 2025, said: "Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass."
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