Trump’s Statements on Greenland Purchase Examined – FactCheck

In a dramatic shift from earlier threats, President Trump now claims to have reached a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland with NATO’s secretary general, backing away from previous suggestions that the United States might take the Arctic territory by force.

“I don’t want to use force; I won’t use force,” Trump declared during a January 21 speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This statement represents a notable change in tone regarding the island, which is home to approximately 56,000 people.

Trump’s pursuit of Greenland has been marked by several questionable claims, particularly regarding Denmark’s sovereignty over the territory. In a text message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump asserted: “Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago.”

This claim is demonstrably false. Denmark’s ownership of Greenland is well-documented through numerous international agreements and court rulings. Denmark’s claim dates back to when Denmark and Norway were unified under the same monarchy. The 1814 Treaty of Kiel explicitly granted Denmark control of Greenland following the separation of Norway.

In 1933, the Permanent Court of International Justice affirmed Denmark’s “valid title to the sovereignty over all Greenland” during a territorial dispute with Norway. The United States has consistently recognized this sovereignty, including in a 1916 declaration following the purchase of the Danish West Indies and again in a 1941 defense agreement during World War II.

Greenland’s relationship with Denmark has evolved significantly over time. In 1953, it transitioned from colony to county status, gaining representation in the Danish Parliament. Home rule was granted in 1979, creating Greenland’s own parliament, and the 2009 Self Governance Act gave Greenlanders the right to declare independence—a step they have not yet taken.

Trump has also claimed that “you need the ownership to defend” Greenland, arguing that “You can’t defend it on a lease. Number one, legally. It’s not defensible that way, totally. And number two, psychologically, who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or a lease.”

Foreign policy experts have disputed this assertion. John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, called it “crazy talk,” pointing out that the United States maintains military facilities in dozens of countries without ownership claims. “If he really believes that—that you have to own something to defend it—they better take notice in Japan, South Korea, where we have defense facilities,” Bolton said in a CNN appearance.

The United States already has a comprehensive defense agreement with Denmark regarding Greenland, first signed in 1951 and updated in 2004. This agreement grants the U.S. extensive military access to the island, including operation of Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base), which conducts space surveillance and provides missile warning and defense capabilities.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has emphasized that “The U.S. has already a wide military access to Greenland,” adding that under existing agreements, “the U.S. can always ask for increasing its presence in Greenland.”

Trump has also linked Greenland to his proposed “Golden Dome” defense system, claiming: “We’re building a Golden Dome and having Greenland makes it a much more effective Golden Dome.” While Greenland does host important radar tracking sites for homeland missile defense, defense experts note that the U.S. already has access to these facilities without needing to own the territory.

“Where the president is way off base is the idea that we don’t already have access to Greenland for missile defense (because we do) and that we need to own Greenland to use it for missile defense (we don’t),” explained Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

The White House has declined to provide specific details about the “framework” Trump mentioned, offering only that “the United States will be achieving all of its strategic goals with respect to Greenland, at very little cost, forever.”

As U.S. interests in the Arctic region grow amid increasing great power competition, particularly with Russia and China expanding their presence there, Greenland’s strategic importance has gained renewed attention. However, the nature and scope of any new agreement between the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland remain unclear as details continue to develop.