Who Controls Greenland, And Why Does Trump Want To Buy It?

By Kelsey Baker and Mikhail Klimentov

Since his first term, President-elect Donald Trump has insisted that the United States should purchase Greenland — to the bewilderment of aides asked to investigate such a possibility, and despite repeated denials by top officials in Greenland and Denmark, of which the island is an autonomous territory, that it would ever be for sale at any price.

As he prepares to assume office, Trump has returned to the idea. “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” the president-elect wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform, over the weekend, in a statement announcing his choice for ambassador to Denmark. Kenneth Howery, the newly announced pick, is a co-founder of PayPal.

The Arctic island, which is roughly three times the size of Texas, has a population of about 57,000 people. It is on the North American continent, to Canada’s northeast, but is in practice part of Europe and is an autonomous territory of Denmark, which ruled over the island for more than 200 years and still maintains some control over its foreign policy.

Here’s what we know about Trump’s call for the United States to own Greenland.

Why does Trump want Greenland?

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Trump says owning the island is a national security objective for the United States. The U.S. military has a base on the island, Pituffik Space Base, a strategic location for missile defense and space surveillance missions, according to the U.S. Space Force. The base was erected in the early years of the Cold War.

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