Overview

Donald Trump's 2026 Acquisition of Greenland Push refers to events in early 2026, following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump's desire to gain control of and take over the Danish Arctic island of Greenland, which he and his administration have deemed important for American strategic imperatives to combat Russian and Chinese expansion in the region. While President Trump expressed interest in purchasing the territory during his first term and the first year of his second term, his actions in early 2026 sparked far more publicity and online attention beginning in January 2026.

Throughout January 2026, negotiations between the Trump administration and Denmark became increasingly volatile and hostile, prompting defensive or retaliatory measures from Denmark and other NATO members who feared a possible invasion. Trump's hostility regarding a U.S. takeover of Greenland, despite European moderation, notably sparked controversy among many online, including his opponents, as well as some of his supporters. However, some still supported the push for various reasons, such as national defense.

The events surrounding President Trump's intentions to purchase or acquire Greenland garnered particular virality in early 2026, leading to international media coverage, internet discourse and other reactions. Memes and trends referencing Trump's desire for the U.S. to take over Greenland also spread widely online at the time.

Background

In early January 2026, after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured and it was announced that the United States would "run" the country, U.S. President Donald Trump began increasingly expressing his desire to annex Greenland, citing defensive and mineral wealth purposes. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen then urged him to stop making threats and said that "the U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom."^[1]

On January 6th, reports^[2] then emerged that Trump and his administration were considering "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, which notably included the potential use of military force, further escalating tensions with Denmark and the EU.

In a statement from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that day, she said that Trump "has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the U.S., and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region. The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal."

The statement quickly sparked international media coverage, with numerous news outlets reporting on the story. For example, CNN covered it in a segment on January 6th that was shared to its YouTube channel, garnering over 315,000 views, 2,600 likes and 3,900 comments in two weeks.

That same day, 60 Minutes Australia uploaded a video to its YouTube channel, titled "Why Donald Trump is so desperate to claim Greenland," discussing the story and various reasons why the U.S. President wants the territory, receiving over 509,000 views, 12,000 likes and 6,500 comments in a similar timeframe.

Developments

EU Countries Deploy Troops To Greenland

On January 15th, 2026, news broke that small numbers of European military personnel were sent to Greenland from several countries, including the U.K., Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands.^[6] Following the move, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that she didn't think it would affect Trump's decision about taking the territory.

Tariff Threats Against EU

On January 17th, 2026, President Donald Trump announced that he would impose new tariffs on goods from several European countries in an effort to push them into a deal for Greenland, escalating his push further. According to reports, Trump stated he would impose a 10-percent tariff on "any and all goods" from the U.K., Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, beginning on February 1st and increasing to 25 percent on June 1st unless an agreement was reached.^[3]

Several EU leaders pushed back against the tariff threats and criticized them, such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying, "Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong."^[4]

On January 22nd, President Trump then said he had secured a deal with NATO that would reportedly give the U.S. total and permanent access to Greenland, as well as telling allies that they would have to increase their efforts to secure the Arctic and oppose threats from China and Russia.^[5]

The framework deal also reportedly led to Trump backing down from the tariff threats, as well as taking Greenland by force.

Online Reactions

Related Events

Donald Trump's Interest in Purchasing Greenland

Donald Trump's Interest in Purchasing Greenland refers to rumors that, in private, United States President Donald Trump has expressed interest in purchasing the country of Greenland. Greenland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded on Twitter, saying, "We’re open for business, not for sale."

Search Interest

External References