Overview
- In a call-in interview on Friday, the president told a MAGA host to “make that bet” that the island would be under U.S. control by the time he leaves office.
- He frames the effort as a national security measure to keep Russia and China from gaining influence in the Arctic and has repeated the claim in public appearances and on social media.
- Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenlandic and Danish officials have rejected ceding sovereignty; no transfer agreement has been announced.
- Prediction markets put low odds on a near-term transfer, with Polymarket around 4% for acquisition before 2027 and Kalshi showing roughly 6.8% for any new U.S. territory before 2027 and about 22% by January 2029.
- The push has already strained ties with European allies after earlier tariff threats that were later paused following talks with European leaders, and it raises questions about how Greenlanders’ daily lives and self-rule could be affected if pressure continues.