Trump Vows to Acquire Greenland ‘Easy Way’ or ‘Hard Way’
President Trump declared during a Friday meeting with oil executives that he will “do something” regarding Greenland “whether they like it or not,” explicitly threatening action through either an “easy way” or “hard way.” Trump rejected a reporter’s question about financial inducements to Greenland’s residents, stating he is considering unspecified action regardless of local consent or Danish sovereignty.
Trump justified forced acquisition by invoking geopolitical threats, claiming Russian and Chinese military assets near Greenland necessitate U.S. control to prevent rival powers from occupying the territory. He cited the presence of Russian destroyers, Chinese vessels, and submarines as rationale for his stated determination to act unilaterally, dismissing Denmark’s 500-year historical claim to the autonomous region.
The White House has previously confirmed that military intervention remains an option for acquiring Greenland, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt designating the acquisition as a “national security priority.” The administration has also discussed direct cash payments ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per resident as a coercive strategy, totaling approximately $6 billion if applied universally to Greenland’s 57,000 inhabitants.
Trump expressed purported admiration for Denmark while dismissing its legal authority over Greenland based on historical precedent. His framing of acquisition as inevitable—not conditional on Danish agreement or democratic consent from Greenland’s population—represents an explicit rejection of international law and the sovereignty of NATO ally Denmark.
These statements escalate Trump’s position that his authority is constrained only by “his own morality,” treating territorial acquisition as subject exclusively to his discretionary judgment rather than international legal frameworks or diplomatic protocol governing U.S.-allied relations.