Trump warns he may go ‘hard way’ on Greenland

The US will take certain measures regarding the island “whether they like it or not,” the president has said

US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington could obtain Greenland the “hard way,” saying he would not allow the strategic North Atlantic island to fall prey to Russia or China. The Kingdom of Denmark, which holds sovereignty over Greenland, has opposed the US push to acquire the island.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump said that the US is “going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not,” arguing that “Russia or China will take over Greenland” if Washington does not act.

“I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” he stressed, without elaborating on how far he was ready to go.
Trump, who has acknowledged that a military option is on the table, also did not rule out paying Greenlanders when asked about compensating residents.

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Greenland is an autonomous Danish territory with a population of less than 57,000 despite being larger than Mexico, and the US already has a military presence there. However, Trump has sought to establish outright control, stressing that the island is vital to Arctic security.

The Greenland saga, which first caught the spotlight during Trump’s first term, has become a major source of tension between the US and European NATO members.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that any US military attack on another NATO country would mean “everything stops,” while leaders in Europe have stressed that “Greenland belongs to its people.”

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration would prefer to buy Greenland as opposed to using any coercive measures. Reuters reported that the US was mulling a plan to send each Greenlander between $10,000 and $100,000 to convince them to support America’s bid, with the specifics of the procedure unclear.

Given that the population is so small, this works out to less than six billion dollars if every resident, regardless of age, receives the maximum compensation.

Every year, Denmark already provides Greenland with a 'block grant' to cover essential costs, which works out to nearly $11,200 (€10,000) per person. Additionally, in September 2025, a landmark agreement was signed where Copenhagen took over the costs of Greenlandic patients requiring specialized treatment in Danish hospitals.

As things stand, polling suggests little appetite in Greenland for becoming part of the US. A January 2025 poll by Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq and research firm Verian found that about 85% of respondents opposed joining the US, while only around 6% supported the idea.