History of United States’ Relation to Greenland

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (center left) meets with President Donald Trump during the 70th Anniversary Meeting of NATO in London (2019)

Credit: The White House / Wikimedia Commons

As a result of recent rhetoric from President Trump, this conversation stems from a Truth Social post on December 22, stating “the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” This has caused a spur of actions in regards to US involvement in Greenland: Donald Trump Jr. visited the territory, and a call between President Trump and Denmark’s Prime Minister was considered “horrendous.” When considering the events that have occurred in the last two months, and in order to attain a comprehensive understanding of Greenland’s significance, this article aims to explore US-Greenland policies from territorial ambitions to strategic advantages in the region. Throughout history, the United States’ interest in Greenland has evolved, beginning with their abundance of natural resources and natural expansion stemming from US’s expansionist and manifest destiny ideas, strategic growth, and Arctic expansion. 

Starting in the 1860s, after the purchase of Alaska, then Secretary of State William Seward, floated the idea of acquiring Greenland and Iceland. The State Department compiled a report regarding the territories to illustrate the bountiful resources in the associated territories. This plan did not go through as Congress was facing criticism after the initial purchase of Alaska, which was seen as a waste. In addition, the partisan aspect led to the topic of more territory gains being put to the side. With the end of the Civil War just two years prior to the purchase, it was seen as more important to focus on domestic issues rather than furthering territorial expansion. In this occurrence, the primary reason for wanting Greenland was regarding the abundance of natural resources located in the area. 

Following this, the next territorial discussion in regard to Greenland was surrounding the Treaty of the West Danish Indies, now known as the US Virgin Islands. Made in 1917, the purchase of the islands from Denmark was of importance in the future strategic interest of the Panama Canal. There was a fear from the US Government and then President Woodrow Wilson that Denmark would be taken by the Germans, and as such have access to the then called Danish West Indies. During this time, Denmark wanted to expand into Greenland and, as a result, the two issues were bundled together in the Convention Between the United States and Denmark for the Cession of the Danish West Indies. The article stated that “the Government of the United States of America will not object to the Danish Government extending their political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland.” This reflected a prioritization of strategic necessity, focusing on the near future and the potential threat of German expansion in a region critical to U.S. interests. At the time, the US adhered closely to the Monroe Doctrine by avoiding involvement in European affairs. However shortly afterward, during World War I, the strategic importance of Greenland for safeguarding American interests became apparent.

Following this, in World War II, the United States’ Coast Guard moved into Greenland to go against the Nazi use of Danish weather stations. In 1941, Greenland became a “de facto American Protectorate,” using the pretense of the Monroe Doctrine to identify Greenland as part of the Western Hemisphere. The importance of this location comes in three parts for  strategic advantage for US forces: resource mine for cryolite, refueling stop on flights between North America and Europe, and more accurate weather prediction in Greenland. This was the beginning of the military strategic alliance between the US and Greenland. The US created the Thule Air base in 1951 as an important aspect in the growing Cold War. The GIUK Gap was established, acting as a chokepoint for Russian submarines, surface ships, and aircrafts, as Moscow’s path to the Atlantic Ocean. It was a strategic necessity to monitor the military activities of the Soviet Union. However, when the Cold War came to an end with the fall of the Soviet Union, the importance of Greenland from the US perspective faltered, and the territory became less important.

After the end of the Cold War, Arctic strategic relevance was brought up as a result of focus on the region by Russia and China. US priorities would focus on new shipping routes opening in the Arctic as a result of climate change and resources available. In 2019, Greenland commissioned the US for an aerial survey of the territory. In 2017, then President Trump broached the idea of buying Greenland, becoming more of a serious venture in 2019. As a result of talking to Ronald S. Lauder, heir of Estée Lauder, Trump commissioned a team to evaluate the plausibility in acquiring Greenland. This was met by a refusal from the Danish prime minister. During Biden’s term, the US and Danish governments lobbied Greenland resource developers to not contract with Chinese companies over large deposits of rare earth materials located in the region.  In the first Trump presidency, Chinese companies took an interest in decommissioned Greenland bases and contracts to modernize the airports, but they were blocked by the Danish government. This was similar to actions taken in previous administrations to prevent Chinese expansion of the Belt and Road Initiative in other regions, such as Africa and South America. More recently, on February 10, 2025, Representative Carter of Georgia introduced a bill to allow President Trump to enter negotiations into acquiring Greenland and following the President's action of renaming the Gulf of Mexico, wants to rename Greenland to “Red, White, and Blueland.” While it has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Natural Resources, there has been little momentum at this time.

Over time, the US has maintained a strategic interest in Greenland, shaped by its military, economic, and resource abundant significance. While the end of the Cold War caused a decrease in US involvement, it has been stirred back up as a result of a recurrence of original sentiment over the importance of the area, its resources, as the US looks to focus on development within, necessitating the resources to complete these goals. In terms of security, it remains a place of importance in regards to Arctic Expansion and global competition, as well as reignition of manifest destiny by the US. While attention may dwindle, the importance of Greenland remains ever-clear on the global stage.