Donald Trump Jr. arrived in the Arctic region’s island of Greenland on Tuesday. His father, the newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, has recently expressed strong interest in buying the island. However, Greenland’s authorities have firmly stated that the island is not for sale.
Trump Jr. described his visit to Greenland as “somewhat of a pleasure trip.” Speaking to CNN, he said, “As someone who enjoys spending time outdoors, I’m excited to stop by Greenland this week.”
However, Trump Jr.’s visit has sparked speculation about his father’s true intentions regarding the world’s largest island.
In the month following his victory in the U.S. presidential election last November, Donald Trump reiterated his earlier statement from his first term about establishing U.S. ownership of Greenland. He stated that securing ownership of the island was “very necessary.
In this context, during a press conference at Trump’s Florida resort yesterday, he was asked whether he could assure the world that he would not use military or economic force to succeed in gaining control of the Panama Canal and Greenland.
Without hesitation, Trump replied, “No, I cannot give you any assurances regarding either of those. However, I can say that both (the Panama Canal and Greenland) are essential for the economic security of the United States.”
While Trump cited U.S. security concerns as a reason for the urgency of owning Greenland, experts suggest that the newly elected president may have other motives. The island is a treasure trove of natural resources, including some rare earth metals. With global warming increasing temperatures, melting ice could make it easier to extract these valuable resources from Greenland.
Geopolitical Strategic Location
As mentioned earlier, Greenland is the world’s largest island, with a population of just over 56,000. Once a colony of Denmark, it is now a self-governing territory of the country. Its geopolitical position is unique, situated between the United States and Europe. Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, is closer to New York in the U.S. than to Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital.
Alrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, stated that the ownership of Greenland has long been considered important for U.S. security, particularly in preventing attacks from Russia. The shipping route known as the Northwest Passage runs along Greenland’s coast. The island is part of the strategically important Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom defense zone.
Trump is not the first president to express an interest in purchasing Greenland. Before him, President Andrew Johnson, in 1867, considered buying Greenland when he purchased Alaska. Similarly, after World War II, President Truman’s administration offered Denmark $100 million to buy the island. This information was revealed through Danish media reports.
None of these ideas or proposals were successful. However, in 1951, under a defense agreement, the United States was able to establish an airbase in the northwest of Greenland. This base is now known as Thule Air Base. Located between Moscow and New York, it remains the northernmost U.S. military base, equipped with missile defense systems.
Pram Gad told CNN, “The United States wants to ensure that Greenland is not controlled by a hostile large power, as the island could be used as a strategic location for launching attacks on the U.S.”
Rich in rare mineral resources, Klaus Dodds, a professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London, says the reason Greenland may be even more attractive to Trump could be the island’s natural resource deposits.
The island’s natural resources include oil and gas, as well as some of the world’s rarest metals, which are in high demand for producing electric vehicles, wind turbines, and military equipment.
China leads in the production of some of the world’s rarest metals. With Donald Trump’s upcoming second term as President of the United States, China has threatened to impose restrictions on the export of key minerals and related technologies from the U.S.
Professor Dodds told CNN, “There is no doubt that Trump and his advisers are very concerned about China’s growing influence on these critical minerals. Greenland could be a potential rich reservoir of these important minerals.”
The ice in Greenland is melting, and the temperature in the Arctic is rising rapidly. This is placing Greenland at the forefront of countries and regions most affected by the climate crisis. However, some see economic advantages in the potential geographical changes caused by the adverse impacts of climate change.
As the Arctic ice continues to melt, new shipping routes are opening up in the region. By 2024, the number of ships passing through this area has increased by 37% over the decade. According to the Arctic Council, the partial reason for the rise in shipping traffic is the melting ice.
Professor Dodds said, “I believe Trump knows that the ice in the Arctic is melting, and it could present an opportunity.”
Philip Steinberg, a geography professor at the University of Durham in England, stated, “It is also assumed that as the ice melts, it could become easier to extract natural resources from Greenland, although the climate crisis has yet to present a turning point for this.”
Meanwhile, it is still unclear how President Trump will translate his desire to purchase Greenland into reality after taking office. In this regard, Pram Gad from the Danish Institute for International Studies said, “Is this just Trump’s display of boldness, a threat to gain something, or is it really something he intends to make happen? No one knows.”
