Trump Doubles Down on U.S. Interest in Greenland Ahead of VP Vance’s Visit

Washington, D.C. – March 27, 2025 – President Donald Trump has reiterated his administration’s strong interest in Greenland, stating that the U.S. will “go as far as we have to go” to gain control of the Arctic island. His comments come ahead of a planned visit by Vice President JD Vance, which has sparked criticism from both Greenland and Denmark.

Vice President Vance, accompanied by Second Lady Usha Vance and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, is set to visit the Pituffik military space base in northwest Greenland. Initially, the U.S. delegation had planned a broader itinerary, including a stop in the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, and attendance at a dog sled race, but those plans have since been scaled back.

Trump, however, remains firm on his stance regarding Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

“We need Greenland for national security and international security,” Trump stated while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office. “So we’ll, I think, we’ll go as far as we have to go. We need Greenland. And the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark. Denmark has to have us have Greenland. And, you know, we’ll see what happens. But if we don’t have Greenland, we can’t have great international security.”

He further emphasized, “I view it from a security standpoint, we have to be there.”

Trump also acknowledged Vice President Vance’s upcoming trip but provided no additional details. Vance is expected to arrive in Greenland on Friday.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has strongly condemned the visit, calling it part of a “very aggressive American pressure against the Greenlandic community” and urging the international community to push back against U.S. actions.

Following the U.S. decision to limit the visit to Pituffik base, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen welcomed the move, describing it as “wise.”

Trump has long expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, having raised the idea multiple times during both his first and second terms. In a recent address to Congress, he stated that the U.S. would obtain Greenland “one way or the other.”

Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede dismissed Trump’s remarks outright. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders,” he wrote on social media. “We are not Americans, we are not Danes because we are Greenlanders. This is what the Americans and their leaders need to understand—we cannot be bought and we cannot be ignored.”