A warship passes by houses in Nuuk, Greenland during a military exercise involving several European NATO members, Sept. 15, 2025. Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP, FileArticle content
The Danish people are feeling shocked, and not a little betrayed, by President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland, a constituent part of the Kingdom of Denmark, says one of the country’s most senior diplomats.
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“Denmark has done everything the U.S. has asked of us. They called and we delivered: in Iraq, Libya and especially in Afghanistan, where we had the highest casualty rate per capita,” the Danish diplomat said. “The mood is of huge concern.”
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The diplomat, who was granted anonymity in order to speak more freely, said the Danes don’t expect a U.S. military invasion but assume Trump will simply declare Greenland a protectorate, raise the Stars and Stripes in the region’s capital, Nuuk, and “kick the Danes out,” he said.
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“It would be extremely easy for him to do it if he wants to.”
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Trump and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen have some history. In his first term, in 2019, the president cancelled a visit to Denmark after she had called his interest in buying Greenland “absurd” and he called her a “nasty woman” in response.
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She is not the only one shocked at the resurrection of the idea in 2025, the diplomat said, especially since the Trump administration is well aware that it has an open-ended agreement to increase its military or mining presence in Greenland, as long as it consults Copenhagen.
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At one point during the Cold War, the Americans had up to 10,000 personnel in Greenland but that has since dwindled to fewer than 200 at the Pituffik Space Base.
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The diplomat said that on a number of occasions in recent years, delegations of Americans have arrived in Denmark to discuss expanding their presence; plans with which the Danes were in full agreement. Ultimately, he said, the resources earmarked for Greenland were allocated elsewhere.
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Trump told reporters on Sunday that he’d worry about Greenland “in 20 days” and reiterated his belief that the U.S. needs to own it for national security reasons because “it is covered with Russian and Chinese ships.”
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“You know what Denmark did recently to boost up security in Greenland? They added one more dogsled. That’s true,” Trump said.
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No, it’s not, the diplomat said. Denmark has actually set aside US$13 billion to upgrade its Arctic capabilities, adding five Arctic vessels, maritime patrol aircraft, long-range drones, satellite capability, air surveillance radar and 16 extra F-35 fighters announced in October (taking the total to 43).
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The Danish diplomat said there are no Chinese investments in Greenland and the Danes have blocked some Chinese development plans. Chinese ships are few and far between, he added.
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Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, questioned the legality of Denmark’s ownership of Greenland on CNN on Monday. “What is the basis of Greenland being a colony of Denmark?” he asked.
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The diplomat pointed to the long history of U.S. recognition of Denmark’s sovereignty, including the 1916 Treaty of the Danish West Indies, which saw America buy three Danish islands in the Caribbean (and unsuccessfully try to buy Greenland).