Danish Leaders Come to White House to Talk About Greenland

Posted on 01/14/2026
|

Nathalie Tocci, Professor of Practice at John Hopkins SAIS Europe, discusses US-European tensions over Greenland and Europe’s path toward geopolitical autonomy.

US President Donald Trump repeated his demand for the US to take control of Greenland for national security reasons before a meeting of top diplomats in Washington and called on NATO to support his efforts.
“NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” the president said in a social media post Wednesday. “Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent - Not even close! They know that, and so do I.”
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his counterpart from Nuuk, Vivian Motzfeldt, will meet with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an effort to convince the US administration that there’s no need to take over the Arctic island - a semi-autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark. The meeting, scheduled to begin at 10:30 Eastern Time, is being cast in Danish media as one of the most decisive moments for the Kingdom since World War II. 
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen on Wednesday announced plans to beef up his country’s military presence in the far North but in a follow up post, Trump poured scorn on the idea that the Danish military would be able to deter the Russia and China from operating off the coast of Greenland as the Arctic takes on increasing geopolitical importance. 
“NATO: Tell Denmark to get them out of here, NOW! Two dogsleds won’t do it! Only the USA can!!!” Trump said. The president also underlined that Greenland is vital to his plans for a so-called Golden Dome to defend the US from missile attacks. 
Ahead of the meeting in Washington, Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, threw his weight behind the current union, categorically ruling out joining the US and said that if made to choose, the territory would opt for Denmark. 


--------

More on Bloomberg Television and Markets



Like this video? Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss any videos from Bloomberg Markets & Finance: https://tinyurl.com/ysu5b8a9

Visit http://www.bloomberg.com for business news & analysis, up-to-the-minute market data, features, profiles and more.



Connect with Bloomberg Television on:

X: https://twitter.com/BloombergTV

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BloombergTelevision

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombergtv/



Connect with Bloomberg Business on:

X: https://twitter.com/business

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloombergbusiness

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombergbusiness/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bloombergbusiness?lang=en

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/bloomberg/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomberg-news/



More from Bloomberg:

Bloomberg Radio: https://twitter.com/BloombergRadio



Bloomberg Surveillance: https://twitter.com/bsurveillance

Bloomberg Politics: https://twitter.com/bpolitics

Bloomberg Originals: https://twitter.com/bbgoriginals



Watch more on YouTube:

Bloomberg Technology: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergTechnology

Bloomberg Originals: https://www.youtube.com/@business

Bloomberg Quicktake: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergQuicktake

Bloomberg Espanol: https://www.youtube.com/@bloomberg_espanol

Bloomberg Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/@BloombergPodcasts