Donald Trump doubled down on his threat to use military force to take Greenland if the autonomous Arctic island doesn’t concede to his offers to purchase them from Denmark.
The U.S. president has repeatedly said he wants to acquire the strategically placed and nutrient rich Danish territory. While he hasn’t ruled out using troops to take the land, he says there are likely still diplomatic channels to explore before getting to the point of military action.
Political leaders in both Denmark and in Greenland have pushed back against the idea of U.S. purchase.
NBC host Kristen Welker asked Trump about his willingness to use the U.S. military to force the issue of taking Greenland.
‘I don’t rule it out,’ Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday morning on Meet the Press. ‘I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything.’
‘No, not there. We need Greenland very badly,’ Trump admitted. ‘Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security.’
The repeated threat, however, highlight’s Trump’s seriousness about acquiring the island.
President Donald Trump says he won’t rule out invading Greenland to take it by force – but claims the U.S. is ‘not there yet’ when it comes to the proposal to acquire the Danish territory
Vice President J.D. Vance visited a U.S. Space Force base in Greenland on March 28, 2025 amid diplomatic efforts to drum up support for U.S. acquisition of the autonomous Arctic island
Especially since the president has said he wouldn’t use the same threat of military force when it comes to Canada.
At the end of 2024, Trump first proposed the idea that Canada become the 51st state.
But he has since then said that he would rule out using the military to force Canada to become part of the U.S.
In his most recent interview with Welker, the president said he doesn’t think he would get to the point of using military force when it comes to the relationship with the northern neighbors.
‘I asked you if you would rule out military force to take Greenland – and you said, no, you don’t rule out anything. Would you rule out military force to take Canada?’ Welker questioned Trump in their pre-recorded sit-down.
Trump replied: ‘Well, I think we’re not going to ever get to that point. It could happen. Something could happen with Greenland. I’ll be honest, we need that for national and international security.’
‘But not with Canada?’ Welker pressed.
‘It’s highly unlikely. I don’t see it with Canada,’ he repeated. ‘I just don’t see it, I have to be honest with you.’
Trump said that he spoke with Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney last week and the two plan to meet in person in the U.S. some time in the next few weeks.
Trump sat down with NBC News anchor Kristen Welker for a wide-ranging interview in his first 100 days back in office
Welker asked Trump if during their meeting he would discuss annexing Canada.
‘I’ll always talk about that,’ Trump replied. ‘You know why? We subsidize Canada to the tune of $200 billion a year.’
He said Americans don’t need or want cars, lumber or energy coming from Canada.
‘We have more than they do,’ Trump insisted. ‘All I have to do is free it up from the environmental lunatics. We don’t need anything that they have.’
‘If Canada was a state it wouldn’t cost us,’ he continued. ‘It would be great. It would be such a great – it would be a cherished state.’
‘I don’t think the American public wants me to pay $200 billion a year to subsidize Canada,’ hew concluded. ‘They do all of their business practically with us. They need us. We don’t need them.’
