A member of the Danish Parliament told CNN that the country's representatives are a "bit shocked" by President-elect Donald Trump's suggestions on annexing Greenland, but that his country wants to keep a "good relations with the United States."
"We want to keep good relations with the United States. It's good for both of us. We think it's certainly crucial for Denmark, but also on the other hand there are limits to what you can even take," conservative politician Rasmus Jarlov told CNN host Jim Acosta. "Even if we're a small country, we still have our limits. This is too much."
Newsweek reached out to Trump's transition team for comment.
Why It Matters
President-elect Donald Trump has suggested in the past that the United States should buy Greenland, which is an autonomous territory that has been part of Denmark for more than 600 years. His push for Greenland aligns with his self-described "America First" policy framework, which has increasingly focused on securing critical resources and asserting U.S. dominance over Canada and the Panama Canal.
The country has access to the Arctic, where international competition has arisen in recent years as nations race to claim northern territory in hopes of accessing natural resources abundant in the region, like gold, silver, copper and uranium. At a recent press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump reminded his followers of his intentions. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen previously called Trump's idea "absurd."
What To Know
Jarlov told CNN's Jim Acosta that is country is trying to find a balance between "not escalating the situation by responding too aggressively" but also making it "very, very, very clear that nobody" in Greenland or Denmark wants Trump's proposal.
"It's written kind of like a joke, so I'm not really sure whether to take it – whether to laugh at it or to take it seriously," Jarlov said. "We don't want to escalate it. We don't want to ridicule statements from an American president, but we also have to make clear that you can't just go and take another country's territory, and the people in Greenland don't want it, and Denmark has been in Greenland since 1380. We're not just going to give that up."
On Monday, Trump posted a video to his social media platform Truth Social that showed a convicted drug dealer in Greenland sharing that he would tell Trump to "buy Greenland because we don't want to be colonized by Danish government anymore."
Jarlov said that the Danish Parliament would have to consent to the United States taking over Greenland. He did note, however, that "everyone is talking about it right now."
"That would be up to the opinion of politicians like me and others, whether it would be approved," Jarlov said. "I can't tell you the results of that process. Greenland has not expressed such a wish, and every Greenlandic politician you talk to says they do not want to be a part of the United States, so it's really not on the table. It's definitely not going to happen."
Two weeks ago, President-elect Trump posted to Truth Social that "the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."
Greenland's prime minister, Múte Bourup Egede, responded to Donald Trump's remarks in a statement saying, "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale, and we will never be for sale. We must not lose our long fight for freedom."
On Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr. was in Greenland with Charlie Kirk and Gor Sergio. A source familiar with the trip told Newsweek on Monday that Donald Trump Jr., 46, has no meetings scheduled with the Greenlandic government and that he is there for a "quick day-long trip to shoot some fun video content for a podcast."
Trump's Other Global Plans
Trump announced at a press conference on Tuesday that he will change the name of the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America," which he said, "has a beautiful ring" to it, "because we do most of the work there and it's ours."
The President-elect also said on Tuesday that there's still the possibility of using the American military to secure the Panama Canal and Greenland. Trump has stirred controversy by threatening to reclaim the Panama Canal, calling the fees charged by Panama "ridiculous" and "highly unfair." The president-elect also alleges Chinese interference in control of the crucial waterway.
Trump has also suggested that "maybe Canada should become the 51st state" when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told him his proposed tariffs would "kill the Canadian economy."
"It seems unthinkable and I don't think anyone expects this to actually happen. It sounds like trolling on the internet, and I guess we can find a bit of comfort in that," Jarlov said. "There's a lot of similar statements that we know are not going to happen, like annexing Canada, for example, so we're not thinking that it's going to be the breakdown of NATO or the end of our alliance or anything like that"
What People Are Saying
Jean-Noël Barrot, French foreign minister, on France Inter radio Wednesday: ""If you're asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no. But have we entered into a period of time when it is survival of the fittest? Then my answer is yes...
"It is obviously out of the question that the European Union would let other nations of the world...attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are. We are a strong continent."
Donald Trump Jr. on X: "Greenland loves America and Trump!!! Incredible people with an equally awesome reception. They just want to be able to utilize some of the incredible resources that they have and allow themselves, their country, and their kids to flourish."
President-elect Donald Trump discussing military intervention at Tuesday's Mar-a-Lago press conference: "I can't assure you—you're talking about Panama and Greenland, no, I can't assure you on either of those two. But I can say this, we need them for economic security."
What's Next
In his New Year speech last week, Greenland's Prime Minister Múte Egede intensified the call for independence from Denmark, asserting that the island must liberate itself from "the shackles of colonialism" and determine its own destiny. Notably, he did not mention the United States in his address.
![SOURCE SPORTS: [WATCH] Mets Capt. David Wright Gives Interesting Insight On The Honor Of His Jersey Retirement In Citi Field](https://thesource.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/01fs75fy836w8mp4ytwr.webp)
English (US) ·