President Donald Trump told The New York Times that taking full ownership of Greenland is “psychologically important” to him, raising the specter of military force and deepening a rift with Denmark that could fracture NATO.
At a Glance
- Trump said “ownership” of Greenland is “psychologically needed for success” in a Jan. 7 Times interview.
- He refused to rule out nuclear force if “needed,” noting it “might upset NATO.”
- Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen vowed Denmark will defend sovereignty and “peoples’ right to self-determination.”
- Why it matters: Any U.S. takeover of the Arctic island could trigger NATO’s Article 5, ending the alliance and reshaping global security.
The admission came during a two-hour Oval Office session with Times reporters David E. Sanger and Katie Rogers. When Sanger asked why Trump won’t simply send more troops under the existing Cold War-era agreement, the president replied: “Because that’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do, whether you’re talking about a lease or a treaty.”
Rogers pressed whether the fixation was personal or strategic for the nation.
“Psychologically important for me,” Trump said. “Now, maybe another president would feel differently, but so far I’ve been right about everything.”
Nuclear option on the table
Trump said he is “not opposed” to using nuclear weapons to secure Greenland if circumstances demanded it, conceding the move “might upset NATO.” The island is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a founding NATO member, meaning an armed U.S. attack would be treated as an assault on the entire alliance under Article 5.
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy warned NBC’s Meet the Press that if Washington attempts a takeover, “it would be the end of NATO.”
Daily drumbeat since New Year
Since returning to the White House, Trump has elevated Greenland to a near-daily talking point. On Jan. 9 he told reporters: “We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor.”
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed the claim, accusing the U.S. of using “other countries as an excuse to pursue its own private interests.”
Denmark draws a red line
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded on Facebook over the weekend, saying freedom “should never be compromised.”
> “Disagreements and conflicts between the United States and Europe only benefit our adversaries. They weaken us and strengthen them,” she wrote.
Frederiksen emphasized Denmark’s rearmament and readiness “to defend our values – wherever it is necessary – also in the Arctic,” adding: “We believe in international law and in peoples’ right to self-determination.”
Trump dismisses international law
The president told the Times he doesn’t “need international law” because he’s “not looking to hurt people,” reinforcing his view that ownership trumps treaties.
Trump also claimed he now “runs” Venezuela after the Jan. 3 capture of its president and said only “one thing” blocks global dominance: “My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
Family scouting trip
On Jan. 7, the same day as the Times interview, Donald Trump Jr. arrived in Nuuk on the Trump family plane for what News Of Losangeles described as a “scouting trip,” underscoring the White House’s resolve to press the issue.
Greenland, rich in untapped oil and rare-earth minerals, has become the latest flashpoint in Trump’s expansionist rhetoric, with allies warning that forced acquisition could fracture the Western alliance and embolden Moscow and Beijing in the Arctic.
