In 2019, when Donald Trump first raised the prospect of the US acquiring Greenland, few people took it seriously. But today, at the start of his second term as president, when Trump says “I think we’re going to have it”, his words ring alarm bells.
To find out why the world’s largest island is of such enduring interest to Trump, Miranda Bryant, the Guardian’s Nordic correspondent, recently travelled to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. There, she tells Helen Pidd, Greenlanders are well aware of the minerals and strategic value that their island holds, especially as the changing climate is accelerating superpower competition in the Arctic.
Miranda also learns that Trump’s attention is well timed, as after a series of scandals Greenlanders are increasingly considering their relationship with Denmark and the prospect of independence. And the US is no stranger to the island, with a military base and warm relations that stretch back to the second world war.
However, while Greenland is clearly on the frontline of Trump’s expansionist second-term ambitions, if Greenlanders are to have a say in their own destiny, Miranda believes they are much more likely to opt for a form of cooperation rather than their island being “bought or sold” by anyone.
