U.S President Donald Trump has renewed his push to acquire Greenland, warning that Washington is prepared to act forcefully if a deal cannot be reached with Denmark over the Arctic territory.
He told reporters: “We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not. Because if we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor.”
Trump made the remarks on Friday, January 9, 2026, while hosting oil executives at the White House to discuss investments in Venezuela.
The president has repeatedly said he wants to take over Greenland, either by buying the autonomous island or by using military force. He calls it a matter of national security, despite strong opposition from Greenland, Denmark, and European allies.
“Greenland is not for sale. I think our Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and our Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt has made it very, very clear. Our country belongs to the Greenlandic people,” Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland’s head of representation to the United States, told journalists on Thursday.
When asked how much he would pay, Trump said, “I’m not talking about money for Greenland yet. I might talk about that.”
“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 added.
Vice President JD Vance defended the administration’s interest in Greenland. “I guess my advice to European leaders and anybody else would be to take the president of the United States seriously,” he said. “Greenland is really important, not just to America’s missile defense, but to the world’s missile defense. We know that there are hostile adversaries that have shown a lot of interest in that particular territory.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers on Capitol Hill have rejected Trump’s plans. Sen. Roger Wicker, top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Greenland’s leaders “have made it very clear” they do not want to negotiate a sale or change in sovereignty.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, “There is no reason for a negotiation around who controls Greenland because Greenland and the United States and Denmark have been allies.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson also dismissed any suggestion of military action, saying, “I don’t think anybody’s seriously considering that. And in the Congress, we’re certainly not.”
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to meet next week with Danish and Greenlandic officials after they requested an urgent meeting.
With Denmark and Greenland firmly opposed to any transfer of sovereignty, the president’s warning of tougher action raises fresh questions about how far the United States is willing to go to secure what it sees as a strategic necessity.
