Why Trump faced backlash over his plan to invade Greenland
RadarOnline.com can reveal that Donald Trump is being labeled “beyond an idiot” by critics and foreign policy experts after reviving talks about invading or taking over Greenland, as the United States already has sweeping rights to build and operate military bases across the island under a Cold War-era deal.
Trump, 79, has renewed his fixation on Greenland in recent days, arguing that the vast Arctic island is vital to US national security and suggesting that America should either buy it or simply take control of the region.
The president has expressed concern about Russian and Chinese activities in the Arctic and has mocked Denmark’s military presence, including dog-sled patrols.
Trump has stated: “We need Greenland from a national security standpoint.”
His comments have reignited diplomatic tensions with Denmark and Greenland, baffling analysts who say Washington already has virtually unlimited military access there.
Under a little-known defense agreement signed in 1951 between the United States and Denmark, which still controls parts of Greenland’s foreign and defense policy, the US is allowed to “construct, install, maintain and operate” military bases across the island.
The pact also grants the authority to house personnel and control landings, takeoffs, anchorages and the movements of ships and aircraft.
The agreement was updated in 2004 to formally include Greenland’s semi-autonomous government, requiring consultation on major changes.
Mikkel Runge Olesen, a researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies in Copenhagen, said: “The US has such a free hand in Greenland that they can pretty much do whatever they want.”
He added: “I find it very difficult to see that the US cannot get virtually anything it wants if it asks nicely.”
That reality has led to sharp criticism of Trump’s rhetoric.
A European diplomatic source told us: “People are calling him ‘more than an idiot’ on this issue because he is threatening an invasion over something the US actually already has.
“The legal framework is already there.”
A former US defense official added: “If this were about security, Washington could expand its presence tomorrow without buying or doing anything. That’s why allies are shaking their heads.”
Trump’s interest in buying Greenland would be his favorite plan of action. But Olesen has rejected the idea outright, saying Denmark does not have the authority to sell the island.
“It’s impossible,” he said. Greenland’s 57,000 residents have the right to decide their future, and last year a poll showed that 85 percent were against a US takeover.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has repeatedly rejected Trump’s suggestions, saying this week: “Our country is not for sale.”
That agreement’s strategic roots date back to World War II, when Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany and its ambassador in Washington brokered a deal allowing U.S. troops to defend Greenland.
American forces later established more than a dozen bases there. Today, only one remains active: the Pittufik Space Base, which monitors rocket activity in the Arctic.
Peter Ernstved Rasmussen, a Danish defense analyst, said the consultation requirements are largely symbolic. “It’s a courtesy formula,” he said.
“If the US wanted to act without asking, they could simply let Denmark know that they are building a base, an airport or a port.”
That, experts say, is why Trump’s threats have enraged Danish officials.
Jens Adser Sorensen, a former senior official in the Danish parliament, said: “Why not use the mechanism of the defense deal if you are so concerned about the security situation? The framework is there. It is in place.”
