Greenland's Prime Minister has clearly said that "enough is enough" in response to President Donald Trump's threat to send troops to take control of the island. Mute Egede called a meeting with other political leaders to strategize on strengthening their opposition to Trump's proposal.
"The U.S. president has once again aired the thought of annexing us," Egede said in a statement. He added: "Enough is enough." Jens-Frederik Nielsen, set to become Greenland's next prime minister after his Demokraatit party won the parliamentary election on Tuesday, also criticized Trump. "Trump's statement from the US is inappropriate and just shows once again that we must stand together in such situations," he said.
Green Hits Back at Trump's Proposal
On Thursday, Trump reaffirmed that the United States "needs" Greenland for national security reasons and suggested he is prepared to deploy American troops to seize control of the island.
"I believe it will happen," the president said regarding the annexation of Greenland during his Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
"We really needed for national security. I think that is why NATO might have to get involved anyway," he added.
Trump then pointed out that the U.S. already maintains a military base in Greenland. "We have a couple of bases on Greenland already and we have quite a few soldiers. May be you will see more and more soldiers go there," Trump threatened. "We have bases and we have quite a few soldiers on Greenland."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was seated on a couch in the Oval Office during the discussion, nodded in agreement. The U.S. operates Pituffik Space Base on Greenland, which plays a key role in missile warning and space surveillance operations.
Trump said that he would discuss the matter with Rutte, but the NATO secretary chose not to engage.
"When it comes to Greenland, yes or no joining the U.S., I would leave that outside, for me, this discussion, because I don't want to direct NATO in that," Rutte said.
Trump in No Mood to Change His Plans
This isn't the first time Trump has considered using military force to seize land he aims to add to the U.S. map. In early January, following his election but prior to his inauguration, Trump suggested he was prepared to use force in both Greenland and Panama, where he seeks control of the canal.
The people of Greenland, however, rejected Trump's attempt to bring their island into the United States.
In Tuesday's election, voters gave first place to Demokraatit, a center-right party that has never governed before but firmly opposes U.S. control of the Danish territory. Nielsen, the incoming prime minister, condemned Trump's proposal for Greenland to become part of the U.S.
"We don't want to be Americans. No, we don't want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves," Nielsen said.
Greenland's election was not only a rebuke of Trump but also a reflection of the islanders' broader support for independence, including a complete break from Denmark. The party that finished in second place advocates for gaining independence from Copenhagen within the next three years.
Trump is attarcted to Greenland for its strategic location in the North Atlantic and its abundant mineral resources. The island is also believed to have natural gas and oil reserves off its coast. Concerns are already growing in Greenland that Trump might try to seize the island by force.
