President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he “won’t use force” to take Greenland, his clearest reassurance yet during a push that has rattled both U.S. allies and the markets.
But that doesn’t mean he’s giving up on U.S. control of the territory. He said he is “seeking immediate negotiations” to take Greenland from Denmark.
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “But I won’t do that. … I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”
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Trump has escalated his Greenland push in recent days, describing the Arctic island as essential to national and global security and pairing that argument with pressure on U.S. allies. He’s largely been coy about whether he would use force to take it over, saying Tuesday that people would “find out” how far he was willing to go.
On Wednesday, he called Greenland “our territory” and “our big piece of ice,” mistakenly referring to it as Iceland several times.
Trump said his objective is for the U.S. to “own” Greenland.
“I’m seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States,” Trump said. “All we’re asking for is to get Greenland, including right, title and ownership, because you need the ownership to defend it. You can’t defend it on a lease.”
“You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no, and we will remember,” Trump added.
In Davos, he framed Greenland as a NATO problem as much as an American demand, arguing Denmark and the alliance cannot defend the territory in its current posture.
“I have tremendous respect for both the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark,” Trump said. “But every NATO ally has an obligation to be able to defend their own territory. And the fact is, no nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland, other than the United States.”
Trump repeatedly described Greenland as strategically located between the United States, Russia and China and dismissed the idea that minerals are the driver. “That’s not the reason we need it,” he said. “We need it for strategic national security and international security.”
Trump said his Greenland push would bolster NATO. “This would not be a threat to NATO,” he said. “This would greatly enhance the security of the entire Alliance.”
The Davos comments come after Trump has kept the issue boiling publicly, including posting AI-style images on Truth Social portraying Greenland under the American flag and tying tariffs directly to Greenland in recent threats aimed at Denmark and other allied countries. On Tuesday, he said he would pivot to “something else” if courts block his tariff strategy.
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