Why does Donald Trump want Greenland? White House says ‘range of options’ being considered for acquisition

The White House says Donald Trump and his team are discussing a “range of options” to acquire Greenland as a “priority”, saying use of the US military remains an option.

The comments come just days after Mr Trump directed an attack on Venezuela, captured the country’s president and seized control of the country, according to the US President.

Mr Trump has long shared his desire to acquire Greenland, a self-governing territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, doubling down drastically on those hopes after his brazen Venezuela action.

“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.

“The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”

The comments come as the Wall Street Journal reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting on Monday that the US President’s hard-line rhetoric was part of negotiating tactics to acquire, potentially purchase, Greenland.

Earlier this week, Mr Trump said the US needed Greenland strategically, claiming there were Russian and Chinese ships all around the region.

“We need Greenland…it’s so strategic right now,” Mr Trump said on Monday.

“Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.

“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

On Tuesday, European leaders sent a blunt message to the US President, saying that what Greenland does is up to Greenland and Denmark.

“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” said the ‌statement by leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Denmark.

Why does Donald Trump want Greenland?

Mr Trump says the US needs Greenland for “national security”.

He has downplayed speculation that his desire to make the territory a US state has anything to do with key resources or minerals.

Greenland does sit on a treasure trove of resources, however, accessing those has remained a key issue for centuries, with fossil fuel reserves, rare earth elements and critical minerals trapped deep under the frozen land.

Climate warming could also result in the Arctic opening up a key shipping route between the US, Canada, Russia and Europe. A recent analysis by AGU said that the Arctic could see its first “ice-free” summer by 2050.

Mr Trump has sought to acquire Canada as well as Greenland. If that were to ever eventuate, the US would suddenly gain a much larger land mass and control an enormous portion of the world around the Arctic.

If the US is part of NATO why does Trump want Greenland?

Mr Trump says national security is reason to justify a US acquisition of Greenland, however, as the US is part of NATO, the security of the region is shared with ally countries.

NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, has 32 member countries. The core principal to NATO is collective defence. Meaning if someone attacks one member, it is considered an attack on all members, which could spark a response from all countries.

European leaders say security in the Arctic must be achieved collectively with NATO allies, ‍including the United States.

“NATO has made clear that the Arctic region is a priority and European Allies are stepping up,” the statement said.

“We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities, and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries.”

In 2024, Mr Trump suggested that the US was open to leaving NATO, at the time citing low investment from European nations. Since his comments, NATO members have agreed to increase defence investment to 5 per cent of GDP.