President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. will push “as far as we have to go” to secure control of Greenland, just days before Vice President JD Vance’s scheduled trip to the Arctic island—a visit that has drawn sharp criticism from Greenland and Denmark.
Vance, accompanied by Second Lady Usha Vance and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, will head a U.S. delegation to the Pituffik military space base in northwest Greenland. The group had initially planned a more extensive visit, including stops in the capital, Nuuk, and a dog sled race, but scaled back the itinerary.
Trump remained unwavering in his pursuit of the island, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he emphasized its importance. “We need Greenland for national security and international security,” he said. “The world needs us to have it—including Denmark. Denmark has to have us have Greenland. We’ll see what happens, but without it, great international security isn’t possible.”
He added, “I view it from a security standpoint. We have to be there.”
Trump briefly acknowledged Vance’s trip, noting, “I understand JD might be going,” but offered no further details. Vance is slated to arrive in Greenland on Friday.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede earlier condemned the visit as part of “very aggressive American pressure against the Greenlandic community,” urging the international community to denounce it. After the U.S. adjusted its plans to focus solely on Pituffik, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen called the move “wise.”
Trump has long fixated on acquiring Greenland, a goal he’s pursued across both his terms. In a March address to Congress, he vowed the U.S. would obtain the strategically vital territory “one way or the other.”
Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede rebuffed Trump’s rhetoric. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders,” he posted online. “We are not Americans, nor Danes—we are Greenlanders. The Americans and their leaders must grasp this: we cannot be bought, nor can we be overlooked.”
