THE US HAD OVER 50 BASES ON GREENLAND DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD WAR. 

Trump revived talk about the United States asserting formal control over Greenland on Sunday, one day after US soldiers kidnapped Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and brought the deposed leader back to New York to face trumped-up a litany of criminal charges.

‘It’s so strategic,’ Trump told reporters on Air Force One. ‘We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.’

On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he plans to meet with Danish officials next week to discuss Greenland’s future.

Rubio also revealed that Trump wants to eventually buy Greenland instead of using military force.

Rubio’s statement came after White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller refused to rule out a military escalation when asked in an interview.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said ‘the US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom.’

Although Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, it is a self-governing territory that handles its own domestic policy.

But because Denmark remains responsible for Greenland’s foreign policy and defense, any US attempt to annex Greenland would have to be negotiated with Denmark and approved by Greenlanders, likely through some sort of referendum.

A mere six percent of Greenlanders support becoming a part of the US, according to a survey by pollster Verian in January 2025.

Taking over Greenland is not popular with Americans either, with an April 2025 Pew Research poll finding that 54 percent of US adults were opposed to the idea.

Iverson, a veteran of the Danish military, is in the hospitality business as well. He and his wife run the 32-room Hotel Aurora Nuuk.

‘I have been in Bosnia together with American troops. I have colleagues who died in Afghanistan and Iraq fighting alongside the US troops. So I find it extremely bizarre that Trump approaches Greenland in this manner,’ said Iverson, who has lived in Greenland for the past 17 years.

Both Iverson and Bay-Kastrup bristled at a Reuters report on Thursday that claims the Trump administration is considering giving payments of $10,000 to $100,000 to Greenlanders if they agree to join the US.

‘It’s another kind of slavery,’ Bay-Kastrup said. ‘If you buy the votes, it’s not a democracy anymore. Then it’s some kind of dictatorship.’

Trump has consistently said the US needs Greenland in its possession to ensure national security and international safety, but both men pointed out that the US continues to operate a military base on the island unimpeded.

The US had over 50 bases on Greenland during the height of the Cold War, but that has since waned to just the Pituffik Space Base, which remains a key asset for missile defense and space surveillance.

In recent days, politicians in Greenland and Denmark have hit back at Trump for his public musings of annexation.

‘No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation,’ said Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen. ‘We are open to dialogue. We are open to discussions. But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law.’

Daily Mail report