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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Donald Trump’s latest pledge to acquire Greenland has provoked concern and anger among politicians in the island, with one lawmaker denouncing the U.S. president's behaviour as “insane.”
During his address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump ruled out military force in taking the island but reiterated his wish to gain control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory, later saying he had worked out a "framework of a future deal."
After Trump’s speech on Wednesday, Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, a Greenlandic MP in Denmark's parliament, accused the U.S in a Facebook post of neglecting democracy and dialogue. Avaaraq Olsen, mayor of the Greenlandic municipality Sermersooq told local media that Trump’s comments meant “we still have to fight to keep our flag.”
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Meanwhile, Malene Vahl Rasmussen, the mayor of Kujalleq, said in a letter Wednesday to the Trump administration, “Greenland’s subsoil is not for sale.”
When contacted for comment, the White House told Newsweek that if Trump's deal goes through, "the United States will be achieving all of its strategic goals with respect to Greenland, at very little cost, forever."
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Why It Matters
The international community may have breathed a sigh of relief at Trump’s ruling out of military force to acquire Greenland, but the U.S. president’s insistence it become part of the U.S. has caused outrage in the island.
The comments by Greenlandic politicians express anger and concern that the island’s fate is being decided without its consultation, especially after Trump announced that he and NATO chief Mark Rutte had decided a “framework of a future deal” over the island.
What To Know
Aaja Chemnitz Larsen is an MP in the Danish parliament for the pro-independence political party, Inuit Ataqatigiit, representing one of the two parliament seats for Greenland. In a Facebook post on Friday, she took aim at both the U.S. president and NATO, writing “what we are witnessing these days from Trump is insane.”
Larsen said neither Trump nor NATO has a mandate to negotiate anything about the fate of Greenland without its participation and that the alliance should have no say in the fate of the island’s minerals.
Other politicians on the island weighed in on Trump’s speech. Avaaraq Olsen, mayor of Sermersooq, told the Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation that it was a relief Trump would not use military force, but this did not mean that the island would enter a calmer period.
Concerns of an American military invasion had worried people on the island but despite Trump’s comments ruling this out. Olsen suggested that the fight for autonomy would continue.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that a meeting with NATO's chief yielded the framework of a future deal with Greenland, which would suit the U.S. and all NATO members. This stance has angered Greenlandic representatives who do not want the future of the island's resources to be determined by outside actors.
Malene Vahl Rasmussen, the mayor of Kujalleq wrote in a letter to the Trump administration that its interest in Greenland’s resources carries moral, legal and political obligations. “When Greenland, our institutions, our allies, and our people are spoken of with disregard, trust is eroded. And without trust, there is no access,” the letter said.
What People Are Saying
Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, Greenlandic lawmaker: “What we are witnessing these days from Trump is insane.”
Avaaraq S. Olsen, mayor of Sermersooq: “Of course, it is a relief that he (Trump) says he will not use military force but everything else that indicates we are not going to enter a calmer period.”
Malene Vahl Rasmussen Mayor, Kujalleq, in a letter to the Trump administration: “Greenland’s subsoil is not for sale through political pressure, dismissive rhetoric, or a lack of respect. Period.”
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly in a statement to Newsweek: “If this deal goes through, and President Trump is very hopeful it will, the United States will be achieving all of its strategic goals with respect to Greenland, at very little cost, forever. President Trump is proving once again he’s the Dealmaker in Chief. As details are finalized by all parties involved, they will be released accordingly.”
What Happens Next
Trump said on Truth Social that further information would be made available amid ongoing discussions over Greenland which will involve Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Update 01/22/26, 11:11 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with a White House statement.
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