Trump, Greenland, And The Future Of The Arctic

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4.4 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2026

⏱️ 31 minutes

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Summary

The Trump administration’s recent evisceration of Venezuela’s government has leaders in Washington wondering where else they can meddle. And President Donald Trump’s eyes have wandered back to a familiar target: Greenland.

Trump has said he wants to buy the island or control it. Now, he could look to follow through on that threat.

This renewed focus caused Denmark and Greenland to send their foreign ministers to Washington D.C. on Wednesday for a meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.

What could a takeover of Greenland mean for its people, NATO, and the U.S.? And what’s in store for the future of the Arctic as it continues to warm faster than anywhere else in the world?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Trump administration's capture of Venezuela's president at the start of January led to a renewed focus elsewhere, Colombia, Iran, and Greenland.
0:17.1	President Trump says he wants to buy the island or control it.
0:20.9	He reignited fears in Europe and Greenland Wednesday morning, posting on his truth social platform
0:26.1	that anything less than having Greenland in the hands of the U.S. would not be acceptable.
0:30.8	And he had this to say earlier in the week.
0:33.5	We need Greenland from a national security situation. It's so strategic. Right now, Greenland is
0:41.4	covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of
0:48.5	national security. And Denmark is not going to be able to do it, I can tell you.
0:53.0	That was President Trump on Air Force One on Monday.
0:56.2	Trump's senior advisor, Stephen Miller, won't say that military action to take Greenland is off the table.
1:02.0	Here he is speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper.
1:04.7	The United States should have Greenland as part of the United States.
1:09.0	There's no need to even think or talk about this in the
1:11.7	context that you're asking of a military operation. Nobody's going to fight the United States
1:17.2	militarily over the future of Greenland. The message from European leaders this month has been
1:22.8	swift and negative, including from Greenland and Denmark, of which the island is a territory.
1:28.4	Here's Greenland's Prime Minister, Jens, Frederick Nilsen, speaking in Copenhagen on Tuesday.
1:33.5	We are now facing a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the United States and
1:38.6	Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. Denmark's leader, Meda Fredrickson, says the island is not for sale.
1:46.2	On Tuesday, she said Denmark faces a decisive moment and that the country would defend its values wherever it is necessary.
1:53.2	The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland will meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vans today in Washington.
2:02.5	What could a takeover of Greenland mean for its people, NATO, and the U.S.? And what's in store for the future of the Arctic as it
	...

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