Greenland’s leader says “we are not for sale” after Trump suggests U.S. takeover

Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede said the island nation is “not for sale and will never be for sale,” after President-elect Donald Trump suggested the U.S. should take it over. 

Trump posted on social media early Monday that “for purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” Greenland, a large icy Arctic island with over 50,000 residents, is a self-ruling territory of Denmark. Greenland’s leader responded swiftly. 

“Greenland is ours,” Egede wrote. “We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”

The post came just hours after Trump announced his intention to nominate Ken Howery for U.S. ambassador to Denmark. Howery was the U.S. ambassador to Sweden during Trump’s first term. 

This isn’t the first time Trump has suggested the U.S. somehow purchase the island. In 2019, during Trump’s first term, he said he was considering buying Greenland for strategic reasons. Greenland’s leadership made it clear the island was not for sale then, too. 

Over the weekend, Trump also seemed to suggest the U.S. should take over the Panama Canal, which is owned and operated by the Panama government-owned Panama Canal Authority. The U.S. uses the canal more than any other nation, according to the U.S. State Department, with 72% of all ships heading to or from U.S. ports. 

Panama President José Raúl Mulino responded that “every square meter” of the canal “belongs to Panama and will continue belonging to Panama.”

“We’ll see about that!” Trump posted after Mulion’s reponse. 

The Panama Canal was built by the U.S. in the early 20th century, and was returned via a treaty to Panama by former President Jimmy Carter in 1977.