Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland. Although it may seem like ‘fake news’, it is true. The president-elect of the United States declared yesterday at a press conference at his Florida mansion, Mar-a-Lago, that the country needed the territory to guarantee its economic well-being. “What I can say is that we need (the Panama and Greenland Canal) for our economic interests”, he noted. Some statements that later caused outrage among the Danish Government, which has sovereignty over this territory. In response, its Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has once again made it clear that “Greenland is not for sale”.
“No, I cannot rule out either of those two measures.“Trump said after being asked if he ruled out measures of military or economic pressure, or even the purchase of the Arctic archipelago.
It is not the first time that Trump expresses his interest in the Greenlandic territory; however, now threatens to impose tariffs on Denmark if it does not respond to its economic interests. All this on the same day that his eldest son visited the territory. In fact, earlier in the day, Trump published on his social networks that the possible US acquisition of the Arctic territory “is an agreement that must happen” and uploaded photos of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visiting Greenland.
But what is it about Greenland that interests Trump so much?
“We need Greenland for national security reasons“Trump stated in statements reported by The New York Times, arguing that Denmark should renounce it to “protect the free world”. However, this is not the only interest that the president-elect of the United States has in the territory.
The territory of Greenland has always been made up of vast ice sheets and glaciers, but the effect of climate change has accelerated its melting. Without this ice sheet, access to the territory’s natural resources would be easier: oil, natural gas, copper, lithium, nickel, cobaltamong others. All those critical resources and rare earths are fundamental to the manufacturing of batteries, turbines, mobile phones or electric vehiclesamong other technologies. In fact, in 2023 the Danish Government published a report that detailed the potential of Greenland as a rich deposit of valuable minerals, a fact that the New York newspaper brings to light today.
A strategic geographical point
Another issue that interests Trump is the geographic location of the island. In the future, the melting of the Arctic could provide new, more efficient sea routes. In fact, shipping traffic in the Arctic has already increased by 37% in the last decade, according to a recent report by the Arctic Council. Specifically, the territory could play an important role in the new trade routes that connect Asia, Europe and North America.
In addition, Greenland is located between North America and Europe, which already makes it a key point for transatlantic navigation, communication and air transport routes.