❓WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump said on Friday that the United States will acquire the island of Greenland, whether its current sovereign—the Kingdom of Denmark—”likes it or not.”
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, the Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Friday, January 9, 2026, at the White House.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I’d like to make a deal, the easy. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.” — President Trump
🎯IMPACT: The issue of Greenland moved back to the forefront of Trump administration interests after the U.S. military successfully carried out an operation to capture the now-former dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro.
President Donald J. Trump said on Friday that the United States will acquire the island of Greenland, whether its current sovereign—the Kingdom of Denmark—”likes it or not.” The remarks came while the President spoke with press following a high-level meeting with oil and gas industry executives at the White House, with the America First leader warning Danish leaders, “I’d like to make a deal, the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
Trump: We are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not#Greenland
pic.twitter.com/VGk8ItvKpf— JUST IN | World (@justinbroadcast) January 9, 2026
“If we don’t take Greenland, you’re going to have Russia or China as your next-door neighbor,” Trump stated, speculating the island could fall under the influence of either nation should the U.S. not step in, emphasizing, “That’s not going to happen.”
The President reiterated the threat both nations pose, arguing, “If you look just outside Greenland right now, there are Russian destroyers, Chinese destroyers, and Russian submarines all over the place. We are not going to let Russia or China occupy Greenland, and that’s what they’re going to do if we don’t.”
Notably, the issue of Greenland moved back to the forefront of Trump administration interests after the U.S. military successfully carried out an operation to capture the now-former dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro. The removal of Maduro from power deprives both Russia and China of a key ally in the Western Hemisphere and will likely impact the latter nation’s oil and gas supply.
Greenland, aside from its strategic location between the U.S. and the Arctic, is also an ideal location for naval—especially submarine basing—to project power into the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, the island has significant deposits of critical minerals and other essential elements crucial to the U.S. defense and technology industries.
In late December, President Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) as a special envoy to Greenland, prompting the Kingdom of Denmark to demand respect for its sovereignty. The National Pulse reported earlier this week that Trump’s renewed push for the island prompted European leaders to issue a statement reiterating their commitment to the Kingdom of Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland.
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