The Current - Trump wants to take Greenland by sale or by force. Can he?

Episode Date: January 9, 2026

Amid threats to take over Greenland by force, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to meet with Danish officials next week. He says President Trump wants to buy the Arctic territory. That rattled people in both Greenland and Denmark.

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always retains the option. I'm not talking about Greenland. I'm just talking about globally. If the president identifies a threat to the national security of the United States, every president retains the option to address it through military means. U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, says he wasn't specifically talking about Greenland, but when pressed... So, U.S. intend to buy Greenland. Can you clarify your comments to lawmakers? this week? Well, that's always been the president's intent from the very beginning. He said it very early on. I mean, this is not new. He talked about it in his first term, and he's not the first U.S.

president that has examined or looked at how could we acquire Greenland. There's an interest there. But so I just reminded them of the fact that not only did Truman want to do it, but President Trump's been talking about this since his first term. Within hours of the U.S. removal of Venezuela's president, American talk of annexing Greenland ramped up. Secretary of State Rubio says that could happen by diplomatic means, but as you heard, he is not ruling out. military action. Or, as reported by Reuters yesterday, by offering lump sum payments to Greenlanders to convince them to join the United States, anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 per person, apparently. Greenland and Denmark's prime minister have said that Greenland is not for sale, and that any

military action would mark the end of the NATO alliance. Marco Rubio is planning to meet with Danish and Greenlandic leaders next week. Tilly Martinusen is a former member of Greenland's Parliament. She now works as a project manager in Greenland's capital, Nook, which is where we have reached her. Tilly, good morning. Good morning. Hello, Canada, and Luke Good Nunavut. Nice to be with you today. Nice to have you here. How do you think most Greenlanders are feeling at this moment about the idea of the United States acquiring Greenland from Denmark? Well, as we do every time Mr. Trump or his administration repeats that, we are insulted, very angry, and mortified.

You say every time, and those are pretty strong reactions to it. But does this time feel different to you? Well, of course, it did in the wake of the Venezuela capture of the president there. That was something that nobody had foreseen. However, we are breathing a little lighter today as we saw that Congress passed a bill that prohibited Trump from doing any further. military actions in Venezuela. So some sort of law and effect and some sort of international law and treaty are being upheld

in the United States. That's very comforting to hear also. We have seen a lot of lawmakers in America going out and defending both Denmark and Greenland, since we have veterans who fought alongside American soldiers in a lot of conflicts, wars. And Denmark, which includes Greenland, had the biggest laws per capita. of soldiers in the Afghanistan war. So very, very happy to hear that someone finally came out and said it, and a lot of senators and lawmakers in America has been out and being very vocal about this. I saw Mitch McConnell put something up about this today, and I almost fell out of my chair,

so that's good news. It's not just military action, though. I mean, this Reuters story is fascinating, because the suggestion is that the U.S. could offer cash money, $10,000 to $100,000 per person to join the United States. That's a lot of money. What do you think? would mean, do you think that might sway people? No, not at all. They were actually asked beforehand because our reporters foresaw probably that something along those lines would come. So we already did a box pop, I think a couple of months ago. And we did one yesterday, I was at the day before also asking people all over Greenland

and the streets, would you say yesterday with that change your stance and everyone blankly said no? I mean, I have a 75-year-old friend, which is someone I've known my whole life. She's 75-year-old churchgoer, Christian, a good old lady. I've never heard her swear. And I overheard her and her friend talking yesterday. And they were using F-Trump. I mean, I didn't know the F-word. You know the F-word, right?

I've heard it before, yes. Yes. I was doing like elbows up and trying to tease them that beforehand. But then when I was out of like eye shot, but within air shot, they were going like F-trumping. He shouldn't come here and we don't want him here. And I have a rifle somewhere out back, I think, that I can shoot him with. If he tries to invade Greenland or if he tries to buy us. And like I've said, all of the time, he's treating Greenland like we're a common prostitute or something like that.

I mean, his view on prostitutes, I feel that sex workers should have rights and everything, right? But his view and like women and, yeah, people in the sex industry, this is like everything he thinks he can touch, he can buy or sell. I mean, it's ridiculous. What do you think he really wants from Greenland? I think that he wants to be the first American president in a long time to expand the territory. I think he wants access for his friends for minerals and rare earths and everything. One's deposits may run out across the rest of the world, but I think mainly it's about Eager, right? He's the first time probably not knowing anything about story, the world history, or anything about Northern NATO, Greenland, Denmark,

and U.S. relations. He probably knew nothing the first time he just thought, oh, that seems like a good idea. And then he has to repeat that right because he's never wrong, you know, in his old worldview. So I think it's about expanding territories and being great, as he always says,

which, yeah, nobody understands that man, not even his former advisors, right? You mentioned your 70-plus-year-old friend. I mean, what is this stirred up in Greenland? Well, first and foremost, anger. I mean, of course, there was a shock once again, people have been frightened. Of course, some feel very vulnerable.

We are 75,000, sorry, 57,000 souls here and around 30,000 in Denmark. So we're not a very big population. And this is not even David versus Goli. This is like David versus Goliath, sand corn under Goliaths. Like, yeah, we're very small compared to America. But, of course, we're resilient and everything. But some were afraid initially, but mostly, It has sparked a lot of anger.

And he's doing exactly the opposite of what he wants to do. He's bringing Greenland and Denmark close it together. So, yeah. So I'm bewildered. Marco Rubio is going to meet with Danish leaders and Greenlandic leaders next week, apparently. What do you think might come out of that? Well, let's see. This administration in America is so unpredictable.

So let's see what comes out of that. I hope something good. I hope finally sitting down and looking across the table at each other and being taught by their own, thank God, own politicians as well over in America, who finally are coming out of the bushes and saying a lot of good stuff about international law, the treaty and the loyalty of both Greenland and Denmark to America, that enough is enough. someone is finally, yeah, saying no to Trump in America, which they have been afraid to do. But, I mean, what more can they take and what more can they do? I do hope that those talks will reinstate some form of normalcy to our otherwise good relations. And we'll see. I mean, Canada has been threatened too.

And I know that the wounds, you know, they run deep. So Greenlanders are thinking, let's write Trump's term out. Let's say as often as you can. And this is probably a deterrent from the Epstein files. He wants to look like a strong man. And let's put our head downs. And if push comes to shove, you know, it's a very cold climate here. I don't think the American soldiers will fare very well.

And we are so grateful that, like, Canada and the European countries, Canadian countries, has been out and supported Greenland. It's amazing. I'm going to let you go. But, I mean, one of the things, we were up in Nunavut earlier, in August. And one of the things that we heard from a lot of folks there was they were telling stories of, you know, growing up in Greece Fjord and Greenlanders would come across on dog sled, across the sea ice. I mean, we're that close to you. I think a lot of people perhaps don't really understand that. What should we be thinking about here in this country?

Well, we have sort of taken, at least for a good wave on social media, we took up the term elbows up, as it was explained to us the last time you were threatened. So I would say we feel a kinship very closely with Canada. We do. And I have been to Nunavut a series of times to myself and to Canada, Toronto, and Montreal. I love Canada. We are closer in mentality, I think, than Greenland or Canada is to USA and more reasonable. I mean, we all agree that there's an orange buffoon right now who is running things and yelling. and let's hope he doesn't get the power to back up where his mouth is.

And let's hope that Greenland and Denmark will have good talks with the rest of the staff at the White House. I mean, Magro Rubio has no choice, right? It's like watching his administration is like watching hostages. I mean, talking if they don't praise him all of the time and if they don't say exactly what he wants to, they're fired or like cast out of the Republican Party. So I feel for Magar Rubio in some cases. Tilly, good to speak with you. Thank you very much. You're welcome. Have a good day. And you, Tilly Martinusen, is a former member of Greenland's Parliament.

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It's easy as Arndor Trois. Learn French, have fun, repeat. Download the free Morial app now. Lynn Martinskar is watching all of this from Copenhagen. She is a global security specialist at the Danish Institute for International Studies. keeping a close eye on these talks and what might come out of them. Lynn, hello to you. Hello, and good morning.

Thank you for having me on today. Good to have you here. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, said this week that President Trump wants to buy Greenland from Denmark. Can you see, I mean, we just heard the anger from Greenland there, but can you see a scenario where something like that is actually possible? So it's really important to say, first of all, that there is no mechanism or no scenario in which Denmark can sell Greenland to the US. Greenland is, with the Greenlandic people,

have been recognized as people under international law with the right to self-determination. And Denmark has also signed an agreement in 2009, the Self-government Act, with Greenland in which Denmark recognizes this and recognizes that it is for the Greenlandic people to decide the future of Greenland. So in this sense, there is no

no way, no mechanism for Denmark to sell Greenland to the US. Of course, Greenland could, in theory, decide to become part of the US. But I think, as we just heard, there is very little appetite for that scenario right now in Greenland. So this is not kind of a repeat of the United States buying Alaska from Russia, for example? No, I think we have to remember that that happened in 1867, and we do not live in 1867. We live in the 21st century where we have international law and an international order, where you have sovereign states and people with the right to self-determination. So there's really no comparison there.

How much pressure do you think the Danish government is facing right now to figure out how to deal with Donald Trump and his administration? The Danish government is facing immense pressure, and so is the Greenlandic government. because I think while you can, there's room for negotiation and for maneuver if this is about resources. Actually, Greenland has said all along that it's very open to American investments in the whole resource question. There's also some room or a lot of room, I would guess, if it's about military investments and expanding either U.S. or Danish military in Greenland. but where there's really no room for negotiation or maneuver for the Danish government is with this idea of taking over Greenland, taking control of Greenland, and kind of annexing and making it part of the U.S.

And I think it's the last version, which is really concerning also for me as an analyst, because it's kind of drawing on this Western Hemisphere argument, which we've also seen in the recent U.S. national security strategy. And in that argument, you know, it's a zero-sum game where either Greenland becomes part of the U.S. or it doesn't. So that doesn't really leave any room for the Danish government. When the president says we need it, and it being Greenland, and he's talking about this when it comes to security,

you mentioned that there are ways that perhaps that could be addressed. There's some sort of Cold War agreement between Denmark and the United States, right, that could lead the United States to be able to expand its military process. presence in Greenland. Is that right? That is correct. So actually the U.S. military has been in Greenland since World War II. And we still have today the Pitrific Space Base, which used to be called or known as the Tule Air Base. And all of this is founded in the 1951 defense agreement. First signed between Denmark and the U.S. and then in 2004, it was amended.

so the Greenland also became a signatory to it. And with this agreement, the U.S. has far-reaching options for expanding its military presence, either with new bases or new installations or, you know, increasing personnel, all these different things. It has to happen, you know, in consultation with Denmark and Greenland. But I think the sense is that the Danish government would be, and also the Greenland, landing, I'm assuming, would be very welcoming to any kind of U.S. concerns in regards to expanded military presence in Greenland. I think potentially the only red line here is nuclear weapons. What do you make of this reporting from Reuters that the U.S. government is considering

paying off Greenlanders, $10,000 each, maybe $100,000 each to be part of the United States, to be welcomed into the arms of the United States? So I think, well, first of all, this is, as we also heard from Tilly before, this is, you know, Greenlanders feel disrespected with these ongoing purchase efforts. But I think other than that, it also shows a lack of understanding within the Trump administration of what motivates Greenlanders and what Greenlandic politics in relation to Denmark have circulated. around for 50, 60 years by now, which is greater autonomy and eventually a fully sovereign independent state. And I think that is priority number one, far before any kind of economic compensation would be relevant for Greenlanders.

Do you think Denmark has done enough to repair and then strengthen its relationship with Greenland such that the people of the territory aren't tempted at some point to take the cash. Well, this is very much an ongoing process between Denmark and Greenland. We've seen in the past few years kind of historical grievances. Greenlanders, the Greenlandic government demanding that Denmark comes to terms with its history and its actions in Greenland, not just during kind of when it was a colony, but also during the 20th century. So this is definitely an ongoing development between Denmark and Greenland. But I think, you know,

all these actions in the past year from the Trump administration has at least not brought Greenland any closer to the U.S. What if Donald Trump just says, so what, we're taking it? I mean, Stephen Miller, his very close aide, said this week, nobody's going to fight

the United States militarily over the future of Greenland. What happens if Trump says, well, we're taking it? Yeah, so I want to be very clear here that this is speculative, and I'm not answering this question to increase the fear of anyone in Greenland or in Denmark. But I think it is important to say that if some kind of very swift maneuver in Luke were to happen, this would, first of all, of course, be a really big problem for Greenland and Denmark, but it would also be not just a crisis, but detrimental to the NATO alliance. And that's why we've seen European NATO allies responding swiftly and united in the past week with this joint declaration. I think what is important to kind of consider here is, at least with Donald Trump's remarks in the New York Times last night, well, European time last night, about NATO versus Greenland. I think we have to be very careful to assume that NATO is as important to the U.S. president as it has been. up until now.

But this is kind of the paradox of the situation. You know, an actual annexation would be so swift that no European states would have any time to react. At the same time, this would have such immense consequences for the transatlantic alliance. Do you think we in Canada, we were talking earlier with Tulli, but just how close in proximity we are to Greenland, should that give people in this country pause? I don't think you can make a direct line of argument between U.S. actions, potential actions in Greenland and then what might happen to Canada, because Canada has obviously its own very big defense force. So I don't think these two situations are comparable. So what is important for Canadians is to consider the NATO alliance.

and what this would suggest from the U.S. administration in terms of this kind of hemispheric view of North America and the rights that this would, according to Donald Trump, give the U.S. in regards to North America. I have to let you go, but just very briefly. I mean, as an analyst, do you find it difficult to understand that we're actually having a very serious conversation about this? To a lot of people, it's one of those head-shaking moments, but it seems very real. It seems very real, and I have to say, we've seen people in the U.S. Congress laugh about this in the past year.

I think at no point in time have people in Greenland or in Denmark been laughing about this. And I think this is also, you know, the current state across Europe and Canada right now. It doesn't seem very funny anymore. Lynn, good to speak with you. Thank you very much. You too. Thanks. Lynn Mortenskar is a global security specialist at the Danish Institute for International Studies.

She was in Copenhagen. You've been listening to the current podcast. My name is Matt Galloway. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you soon. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.