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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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Donald Trump has reiterated his wish for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, a territory within the kingdom of NATO founding member Denmark, putting the president-elect on a collision course with an ally, as well as the European Union.
Trump said he could not rule out using military or economic force to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal.
Roger Hilton, a defense research fellow at the Slovakia-based think tank GLOBSEC, told Newsweek on Wednesday that Trump's comments could send a message to NATO adversaries that changing borders by force "is potentially acceptable."
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Another expert told Newsweek that Trump is trying to undermine NATO's cohesion. Trump's transition team spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, said every decision the president-elect makes "is in the best interest of the United States and the American people."
Newsweek reached out to NATO and the Danish Foreign Ministry for comment.
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Why It Matters
Regardless of whether Trump has a serious plan to take the world's biggest island, the U.S. president-elect has not ruled out the possibility of a military threat against a member of NATO whose charter's Article 5 says an attack on any member is an attack on all. This poses a tricky diplomatic situation for the alliance.
What To Know
Trump told a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate he could not rule out military or economic coercion to take Greenland, as well as the Panama Canal. The visit to Greenland on Monday by Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr, added to speculation about his intentions.
The U.S. maintains Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, a territory rich in natural resources. It is also in a strategic location for trade as global powers such as Russia seek to expand their reach in the Arctic Circle.
As a semiautonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark, the island is also part of NATO. This integration was deepened when Greenland got its first envoy to the alliance in 2023.
Victoria Herrmann, a senior fellow at the Arctic Institute, told The Washington Post any U.S. military force against Greenland would be "an attack against a member of NATO" under Article 5 of the alliance's charter.
Itay Lotem, a political expert from London's University of Westminster, told Newsweek that an invasion of Greenland would imply a war between NATO members, undermining any united front for Ukraine as it fights against Russia.
Lotem also said that Trump's comments showed that "the souring of trans-Atlantic bonds seems like a strategy of the new administration."
Trump had floated the idea of acquiring Greenland during his first presidential term in 2019, according to a book by journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, which said he had suggested trading it for Puerto Rico.
In December 2024, Trump said on Truth Social that U.S. control of Greenland was an "absolute necessity" for national security and global freedom.
Hilton told Newsweek that Trump's latest comments were unconstructive in a fragile global security landscape and "highly disrespectful" toward Denmark.
He said Trump's comments could signal "to external NATO adversaries that changing borders by force is potentially acceptable and that irredentism as policy is back in vogue."
Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Newsweek that the president-elect has called attention to legitimate national security and economic concerns.
What people are saying
Donald Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday: "We need them (Greenland and Panama) for economic security."
Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Newsweek: "Every decision President Trump makes is in the best interest of the United States and the American people. That's why President Trump has called attention to legitimate national security and economic concerns regarding Canada, Greenland, and Panama."
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen: "Greenland is not for sale."
Roger Hilton told Newsweek that Trump's comments: "are beyond his normal bluster and are both unconstructive amidst a fragile global security landscape and highly disrespectful toward Denmark, an original 1949 NATO ally."
Itay Lotem, a political expert from London's University of Westminster, told Newsweek: "Trump and his administration have not yet taken office, but the president-elect is already undermining the international order and NATO's cohesion by threatening to take Greenland by force if necessary."
"An invasion of Greenland would imply a war between NATO members and would obviously undermine any united front of support to Ukraine," Lotem added.
What Happens Next
Even if there is doubt that Trump will make a serious move on the island, Denmark could invoke the charter's Article 4, which allows any member to seek consultations when a member's territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened.
World leaders are likely to continue to reject Trump's comments. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio that the European Union would not let other nations attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are.
Meanwhile, Hilton said Copenhagen can try to use the narrative to its benefit and increase defense spending from 1.65 percent to a minimum of 2 percent.
"The same urgency to ramp up defense spending extends to all NATO allies failing to hit minimum spending targets, and even those spending beyond two percent, who cannot turn a blind eye to such evidently offensive comments," he told Newsweek.
Update 01/08/25, 3:56 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Karoline Leavitt.
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