This is an article from the February 2025 Civitas Examiner (Volume 2, No. 1) and was written by one of our students, Kirill K. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of Civitas other than respect for the value of open dialogue. To read more Civitas Examiner stories or to submit your own, click here.
President Trump’s recent comments on Greenland stirred quite a controversy, to say the least. Trump noted that buying Greenland is essential to “freedom in the world” and that “the people (of Greenland) want to be with us.” This comment, of course, was met with backlash from both Denmark and Greenland. Danish officials called such a proposal “absurd,” with the Danish EU parliament member Anders Vistisen telling Trump to “f*** off.” Denmark even changed the royal coat of arms to make the Greenlandic arms more visible. Greenland’s response, which is an autonomous region, was not less negative. Múte Bourup Egede, the prime minister of Greenland, said that Greenland was “not for sale” and instead said it was looking towards independence. However, despite everyone reacting to Trump’s comments negatively or ironically, one question remained: Is this the first time the USA has wanted to buy Greenland? Well, the answer to it is no. Some may not remember, but Trump wanted to purchase the island in 2019. However, the story of Greenland-US relations is much older than that, and the concept of buying it is not new.
First, for context, most U.S. land expansion was through purchases, such as the Louisiana Purchase from France or the Alaska Purchase from Russia. So, Greenland came into the U.S. eyes for quite some time. Proposals to purchase it came in 1867, 1910, 1946, and 1955. Most famously, in 1940, during WW2, as Denmark fell to the Nazis, the U.S. temporarily occupied Greenland, though it was returned once the war ended. Despite that, in 1946, U.S. Secretary of State James Byrnes offered Denmark $100 million in exchange for Greenland, as he saw it as a major strategic point for the USA. It was just the first step for Byrnes, as he also wanted to purchase Iceland. However, Denmark refused his proposal. Okay, the idea of purchasing Greenland isn’t new, but the more important question is not what Trump wants but what Greenlanders want. So what do they want?
As of 2019, two-thirds of Greenlanders support independence, although most would refuse it if it meant an end to Danish subsidies since they believe that if they cease, the independence would not be viable. Some might cite the recent survey from Patriot Poll, in which out of 416 residents, 57.6% favored joining the United States. But here is the catch. The CEO of PP, Lucca Ruggieri, is closely affiliated with Republican politicians, such as Donald Trump Jr..
Second, and more importantly, the poll did not specify how respondents were chosen, what questions were asked, and the statistical uncertainty. Second, let’s look at the Greenland government and parties. The majority of the legislature, 26 out of 31 seats, are taken by pro-independence parties, with the prime minister of Greenland, Múte Bourup Egede, belonging to the party Inuit Ataqatigiit (Community of the People), which is a democratic socialist party advocating independence.
While Trump did hint at threatening to take Greenland by force or tariffs, as well as the so-called “Make Greenland Great Again Act” being introduced to the House of Representatives, there is little chance that Trump’s comments would be anything besides words. Remember, Trump is a populist, and many of his campaign promises barely came true, such as the border wall during his first administration. Second, neither Greenland nor Denmark would agree to this, as most people are more pro-independence or staying with Denmark than joining America. However, Trump’s statements and threats can make foreign relationships and diplomacy worse, and that’s especially bad considering that Denmark is a NATO member. For now, we have to wait and see.
