Greenland

It’s the most concrete effort yet to turn President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire the Danish territory into actionable policy, despite widespread international outrage.

The White House is preparing an estimate of what it would cost the federal government to control Greenland as a territory, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, the most concrete effort yet to turn President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire the Danish island into actionable policy.

While Trump’s demands elicited international outrage and a rebuke from Denmark, White House officials have in recent weeks taken steps to determine the financial ramifications of Greenland becoming a U.S. territory, including the cost of providing government services for its 58,000 residents, the people said.

JD Vance has ruffled feathers during a controversial trip to Greenland, where he accused Denmark of effectively abandoning the territory to Beijing and Moscow and told residents their climate was “cold as s—”.

Mr Vance declared that the US could no longer “bury our head in the snow” and ignore China’s attempts to establish itself in the semi-autonomous territory during the first ever visit to Greenland by a US vice-president on Friday.

He explicitly urged Greenlanders to vote for independence from Denmark, urging its citizens to join the US’s “security umbrella” in comments that have caused outrage in Copenhagen.

Second lady Usha Vance will travel to Greenland this week on a cultural mission with her son and American officials, the vice president’s office announced on Sunday. As the administration pushes for some kind of deal to annex the Danish territory, Ms. Vance plans to attend its annual national dogsled competition.

The second lady and her delegation will depart for Greenland on Thursday, where they will visit historical sites and learn more about Greenlandic heritage. “Ms. Vance and the delegation are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity. They will return to the United States on Saturday, March 29, 2025,” the vice president’s office said in a statement.

Bringing the island closer to America makes national security sense.

President Trump’s determination to purchase Greenland from Denmark has upended the transatlantic dialogue. What was dismissed as a flight of fancy when originally raised in 2019 has, combined with the president’s recent interest in the Panama Canal, become something far more significant: the beginning of a possible “Trump Doctrine,” reprioritizing the Western Hemisphere as the principal theater of American economic and security interest.

Trump’s stance is less about territorial ambitions and more about pushing Europe to take responsibility for key regions threatened by Russian and Chinese expansion.

Denmark is adjusting its strategic position on Greenland as U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies pressure on Europe to bolster its defense capabilities, particularly in the Arctic.

While the possibility of the U.S. taking control of Greenland has dominated headlines in recent weeks, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen’s response reveals a more profound reality: Trump’s stance is less about territorial ambitions and more about pushing Europe to take responsibility for key regions threatened by Russian and Chinese expansion.

Greenland’s leader Múte Egede said he is prepared to enter into negotiations with President-elect Trump about the future of the mineral-rich arctic territory — but warned his people had no interest in becoming Americans.

At a press conference Friday in Denmark, which exercises nominal sovereignty over Greenland, Egede said he accepted that Greenland was “a place that the Americans see as part of their world” and that while he has not spoken with Trump, he was open to “discussions about what unites us.”

h/t Mauser