The government of Denmark summoned the U.S. ambassador in Copenhagen, Ken Howery, for an explanation after President Donald Trump announced the appointment of a special envoy for Greenland who said he would work to make the island “a part of the U.S.” |
The prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland reacted angrily to the news. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, and the U.S. should not take over Greenland,” they said in a joint statement. “We expect respect for our common territorial integrity.” Other European leaders have also weighed in, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying the EU stands “in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland.” |
Of course, this is not the first time Trump has expressed a desire to take over the island, which he says is necessary for U.S. national security and to control the island’s deposits of critical minerals and other resources. Greenland has a population of 60,000 residents and is largely self-governing, though it remains part of Danish territory. |
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, downplayed the impact of Trump’s announcement in a social media post. “This may sound big, but it does not change anything for us. We decide our own future,” he wrote. |
Nielsen is correct that simply appointing a special envoy will not make a difference. And Trump’s pick for the position, Jeff Landry, already has a full-time job as governor of Louisiana, so it remains unclear how much time he’ll be able to devote to Greenland. Still, by making this appointment, Trump is sending an unmistakable signal that he will continue to look for ways to ratchet up the pressure on Denmark and Greenland. |
Over the past year, senior U.S. officials have sent mixed messages on how exactly they would accomplish the goal of taking over the island. Many of them—including Secretary of State Marco Rubio—have suggested negotiating with their Danish allies to find a solution. But Trump himself has refused to rule out the use of force or other forms of pressure. |
In a separate announcement Monday, the Trump administration suspended leases for five offshore wind power projects off the U.S. East Coast, two of which are owned by the Danish state-controlled energy giant Orsted. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum cited national security concerns as the reason for the pause, and Trump himself has a long-held disdain for wind power. But the timing of the announcement seemed calculated to send a message to Denmark that it would face economic pain if it continued to resist U.S. efforts to effectively annex Greenland. |
As the Atlantic Council’s Daniel Fried wrote in February, U.S. pressure against Denmark could take a variety of forms, including “tariffs and punitive taxes against Danish companies operating in the United States,” such as Lego, Maersk and drug-maker Novo Nordisk. However, Fried added, such measures would also have adverse consequences for U.S. consumers, including higher prices for consumer goods and pharmaceuticals, as well as supply chain disruptions. |
U.S. covert operations in Greenland also cannot be ruled out. In August, the top U.S. diplomat in Copenhagen was summoned by the Danish Foreign Ministry over an alleged influence operation involving three U.S. citizens, all with close ties to Trump and the White House, aimed at weakening Greenland’s ties with Denmark. The White House denied any involvement at the time, saying it cannot control the actions of private U.S. citizens. |
All of this illustrates the variety of tools available to Trump to work toward his expansionist goals. As a result, today’s appointment of a special envoy shouldn’t be seen as an empty gesture. |