US President Donald Trump and his advisers are actively discussing a potential bid to purchase Greenland, the White House confirmed on January 7. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the idea is being considered by Trump and his national security team, despite repeated insistence from both Denmark and Greenland that the autonomous Danish territory is not for sale.
Leavitt added that while the administration has not ruled out any options, diplomacy remains the president’s preferred approach.
Renewed attention on Greenland follows heightened global tension after Trump’s recent use of military force in Venezuela, raising concerns among allies about US intentions abroad. Denmark, a NATO member, has warned that any attack on its territory would jeopardize the alliance.
Indeed, while tensions have escalated in recent weeks, US interest in Greenland is not new. Click through to explore why the territory’s strategic location and mineral wealth have placed it at the center of a growing geopolitical dispute.