Donald Trump has again restated his desire to acquire Greenland for the US “for purpose of national security”, saying anything less is “unacceptable”, even as a poll found less than a fifth of Americans support the idea.
In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the US president said the vast Arctic nation “is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building”.
The Golden Dome project, to build a missile defence shield, was announced by Mr Trump in May.
“IF WE DON’T [take over Greenland], RUSSIA AND CHINA CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!”, he added, warning that NATO would be “far more formidable and effective” if Washington took over.
It came as Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers arrived at the White House for a meeting with US vice president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio.
As the meeting was about to take place, Greenland’s government announced that Danish armed forces would expand their presence and continue exercises on the world’s largest island in close cooperation with NATO allies.
In a later post on the social media platform, Mr Trump said Denmark had been warned of China and Russia’s “military goals” towards Greenland.
Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, has been a Danish territory for centuries and Mr Trump’s desire for the US to acquire it has provoked concern in Copenhagen and its allies.
At a meeting of his cabinet on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that if the sovereignty of an ally is affected, the “knock-on effects would be unprecedented”.
Mr Trump’s desired land-grab is not backed by the vast majority of Americans, according to an Reuters/Ipsos poll, which found just 17% of them support the idea.
Almost half (47%) of those polled disapproved of the plan, while 35% were unsure, the survey published on Wednesday, said.
Mr Trump’s post did not mention using force, but the US president has not ruled out something that, according to Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, would mean “everything stops… including NATO”.
Mr Trump has said the US will acquire the nation “the easy way or the hard way”, an apparent reference to using its miltary power if necessary.
The poll found large majorities of Democrats and Republicans against annexing the island by force.
Only 4% of Americans – said it would be a “good idea”, while nearly three-quarters (71%), including nine in 10 Democrats and 60% of Republicans, disagreed.
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Speaking to Sky’s US partner network NBC News last week, Mr Trump said Greenland “is very important for the national security of the United States, Europe, and other parts of the free world”.
Mr Trump, whose stated aim is to control the Western Hemisphere, has already shown his willingness to take action in support of his aims by removing the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro, earlier this month.
He has said the US will “run” the country and its oil firms manage the South American nation’s oil industry after ordering the military raid.
The Golden Dome system – styled on Israel’s Iron Dome – is designed to be able to detect and stop missiles at all points of attack, from before launch to when they are descending towards a target, the Trump administration has said. The White House has said that Canada had agreed to take part.
