Jeff Landry said Trump recently told him the United States still needs Greenland, citing the Arctic territory’s strategic location, natural resources and potential for closer ties with Washington.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump remains focused on bringing Greenland under U.S. control, according to Jeff Landry, the U.S. special envoy to Greenland and Republican governor of Louisiana.
Landry said July 1 that he recently discussed the Arctic territory with Trump and that the president made clear the issue remains active on his agenda. Greenland, a vast island in the North Atlantic and Arctic region, currently belongs to Denmark.
In an interview with Breitbart’s Alex Marlow, Landry said Trump raised the matter during a conversation Saturday night.
“We need to get Greenland,” Trump told him, according to Landry.
“He’s not forgotten about it,” Landry said.
Landry said his own visit to Greenland convinced him that residents want a stronger relationship with the United States and greater distance from Denmark.
“And here’s the great news, after visiting Greenland, here’s what I will tell you, the people of Greenland want to be with the United States, they want a closer relationship with the United States, they want more English teachers, they want more military presence in Greenland, they want to free themselves from Danish control, and so now it’s a matter of just making that happen, and I think it’s easy.”
Landry framed Greenland as a major strategic interest for Washington, pointing to its position in the Arctic and its natural resources. He said the territory could be important to the United States because of its energy reserves, minerals and fisheries.
“I mean, there’s a great oil and gas reserve there, there are great rare earth minerals there. There’s great fishing there. I mean, it’s a great, great place. So, we’re gonna get it,” Landry said.
Landry also described steps he said could draw Greenland closer to the United States before any formal political arrangement. He said Washington should expand its military presence, rebuild activity at U.S. facilities, strengthen transportation links and increase trade.
“I think we do it by actually sending more military personnel to Greenland to repopulating our bases, to creating a direct shipping route between the United States and Greenland, to getting direct airlines between the United States and Greenland, to open up more trade with the Greenlanders,” Landry said.
He said Greenland’s seafood trade is currently directed toward countries farther away, arguing that the United States is a more natural partner because of geography.
“I mean, right now they’re shipping all of their seafood to China and Russia. I mean, really, they’re closer to us,” Landry said.
Landry said those kinds of actions would be “little things” that could serve as “great steps” toward bringing Greenlanders “right into the fold.”
The United States has already taken steps to increase its presence on the island. On May 21, Washington opened a larger consulate in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.
U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Kenneth Howery attended the opening and wrote in a May 21 post on X that the consulate was “more than just a building.” He said it reflected the U.S. interest in “a strong and growing bilateral relationship with Greenland that fosters economic, educational, and scientific cooperation, along with closer connections between our communities.”
Greenland is also part of broader U.S. defense planning. Washington has said it wants to increase its military presence in the territory and include it in Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” defense system against nuclear attack.
The United States currently operates Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland. That presence is much smaller than it was in 1945, when the United States had about 17 facilities on the island staffed by thousands of American personnel.
Denmark, which has controlled Greenland for centuries, remains opposed to the Trump administration’s stated interest in annexing the territory.
A January 2025 poll found that 56 percent of Greenlanders supported independence from Denmark, despite the territory’s heavy economic reliance on Danish subsidies. The same poll found that 6 percent of respondents said they wanted Greenland to become part of the United States, though the survey did not ask about other possible arrangements with Washington.
Trump’s push for Greenland has also created tension inside NATO, where Denmark is a member. The dispute comes as the United States has reduced its military presence in Europe and criticized European NATO allies over defense spending.
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