TIMELINE: Donald Trump's statements and reactions from Denmark and Greenland

In January 2025, Múte Egede stated that Greenlanders want to be neither Danes nor Americans, repeating this after Trump's speech in March, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. At the same time, Greenlandic officials were prepared to discuss strengthening existing defense cooperation on the island.

In early March 2025, Trump said in a speech that he supports the right of Greenlanders to self-determination but added that the U.S. will get Greenland "one way or the other" and will make the Greenlanders rich.

On March 12, 2025, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the Democrats party, said that Greenlanders do not want to be Americans or Danes, but desire independence in the future and to build their own country. On March 27, four Greenlandic political parties formed a coalition, one of the main goals of which was to resist U.S. control efforts; Nielsen became Prime Minister.

On March 30, 2025, Trump said he believed acquiring Greenland was possible without military force, but did not rule out its use, Axios reported. On May 4, he again refused to rule out the use of military force.

On December 21, 2025, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy for Greenland issues and told the BBC that for the U.S., "we have to have it." Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called the appointment and the accompanying rhetoric unacceptable and disturbing, and summoned the U.S. Ambassador, Axios wrote. Danish and Greenlandic officials broadly criticized the appointment.

On January 4, 2026, Trump stated that "We do need Greenland, absolutely," for defense, as he believed Denmark was unable to protect the island from security threats. Mette Frederiksen called on Trump to end the threats against a historically close ally and a country and people that have refused to sell. She emphasized that "The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom,"

On January 6, 2026, Denmark, along with other European allies, confirmed that "Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,"

On January 9, 2026, Trump said that "We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not." He stated he preferred a simple agreement but threatened to act forcefully otherwise. By January 12, the Greenlandic government had announced that it could not agree to a U.S. takeover under any circumstances, wrote the Council on Foreign Relations.

On January 14, 2026, Trump stated that the U.S. needs Greenland for national security and the planned Golden Dome defense system, and that NATO should help bring the island under U.S. control. He added that "Anything less than that is unacceptable," reported CNBC. On the same day, he said that Denmark could do nothing against a potential attempt by Russia or China, whereas the U.S. could. Talks between the foreign ministers of the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland ended without a resolution.

On January 17, 2026, Trump threatened to impose a ten percent additional tariff on Denmark and seven other European countries starting February 1, and 25 percent starting June 1, until an agreement is reached for the full purchase of Greenland, reported the House of Commons Library. On the same day, Søren Andersen, commander of Denmark's Joint Arctic Command, rejected the immediate part of Trump's security argument, stating that Denmark saw no direct threat to Greenland from China or Russia at that time.

On January 20, 2026, Trump wrote that "Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back — On that, everyone agrees!" When asked how far he was willing to go to acquire the island, he replied, "You’ll find out," wrote CNBC. Greenland's Minister for Business Naaja Nathanielsen said that treating the island as a product or asset for purchase, combined with threats of military action and occupation, has left people bewildered and distressed. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated that military conflict is not likely, but it cannot be ruled out.

On January 21, 2026, in Davos, Trump said he did not want or intend to use force to acquire Greenland, but demanded immediate negotiations over the acquisition of the island. Following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he announced a framework for a future agreement concerning Greenland and the Arctic and dropped the planned tariffs. Wikipedia summarizes this turn as a promise not to use force or tariffs to annex Greenland.

In 2026, but in an undated statement related to a NATO summit, Trump later declared that Greenland "should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,"