Donald Trump’s fascination with Greenland has resurfaced — and this time, he’s not mincing words about what lengths he’s willing to go to make it happen.
In a recent NBC interview, the former U.S. president once again floated the controversial idea of acquiring Greenland, this time refusing to rule out the use of military force. “Something could happen with Greenland,” he said. “We need that for national and international security.” Though he claimed military action against Canada was “highly unlikely,” he was far less dismissive when it came to the icy, resource-rich island owned by NATO ally Denmark.
“I don’t rule it out. I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything,” Trump told NBC. “Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them… But we need that for international security.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has set his sights on Greenland. During his presidency, he publicly floated the idea of buying the territory, which drew immediate backlash from both Greenland and Denmark. At the time, officials in both countries rejected the idea outright, calling it absurd. Now, with Trump signaling renewed interest, the rhetoric has only intensified.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s newly elected prime minister, issued a sharp rebuke in response to Trump’s latest remarks. <blockquote>“We will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by anyone,” Nielsen stated. “That’s the message I think is most important to understand.”</blockquote>
But Trump, it seems, is undeterred. “We’ll get Greenland. Yeah, 100%,” he said. “Good possibility that we could do it without military force… but I don’t take anything off the table.”
While Trump’s Greenland ambitions have already drawn international scrutiny, his recent comments have expanded to include another northern neighbor — Canada.
In the same NBC interview, Trump casually entertained the idea of making Canada the 51st U.S. state. Although he admitted the topic hasn’t come up with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump suggested the conversation could be imminent. He criticized the U.S.-Canada trade relationship, claiming America effectively “subsidizes” Canada by $200 billion annually.
“We don’t need their cars… their energy… or their lumber,” he said. “We have better. All I have to do is free it up from the environmental lunatics.”
Then came the characteristic sales pitch. Trump, referring to himself as a “real estate guy at heart,” described Canada as “a cherished state” and minimized the U.S.-Canada border as nothing more than “an artificial line drawn with a ruler.”
“If you look at the geography… What a beautiful country it would be,” he added.
Naturally, both proposals — one involving a NATO member’s sovereign territory, the other implying annexation of an entire neighboring nation — have stirred widespread debate. Many see Trump’s comments as an outlandish stunt. Others warn they reflect an increasingly bold vision of U.S. dominance under Trump’s worldview.
Could Greenland ever become part of the United States? Unlikely, say most foreign policy experts. But the fact that a former president is openly entertaining the use of force — and doing so in primetime interviews — is sparking new concerns among both allies and adversaries.
Whether it’s strategic resource grabs or speculative geography, Trump’s map of the future seems to ignore borders, protocol, and precedent — and he’s not backing down.
Would you consider this a bold geopolitical play or a reckless fantasy?