Yesterday, foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland visited the White House, where they met with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The ministers (Lars Lokke Rasmussen of Denmark and Vivian Motzfeldt of Greenland) were there because of President Donald Trump’s most recent obsession: gaining U.S. control of Greenland.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within Denmark. This CNN story has a helpful rundown of the island’s historic relationship with the U.S.—including past American efforts to gain control. Trump seems to believe that U.S. control of Greenland is essential for national security and that only the U.S. can fend off Russia or China. The island’s location makes it ideal for early missile detection, and it’s also home to significant natural resources. “There’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do,” Trump told reporters yesterday. “You found that out last week with Venezuela.”
While Denmark’s and Greenland’s foreign ministers were in Washington, Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen was back home resisting this idea, alongside Greenland’s premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Frederiksen leads the Social Democrats and has been Denmark’s prime minister since 2019.
She wrote in a post on Facebook today that she was briefed on the White House meeting, which was “not easy.” She said there is a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland’s future and Denmark will “continue our efforts to prevent [U.S. takeover] from becoming a reality.” As for Trump’s concerns, she emphasized that Greenland’s security is a priority of the entire NATO alliance, alongside Denmark, and that she is establishing a working group to strengthen security in the Arctic.
This episode makes Frederiksen, 48, the latest female world leader to tangle with Trump, joining a list that includes Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum (who went from negotiating with Trump on tariffs, to responding to U.S. intervention in Venezuela and efforts to use the U.S. military against drug cartels in Mexico), Japan’s Sanae Takaichi, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
Frederiksen is doing so under less-than-ideal circumstances. She’s not a new leader coming to power, eager to set a fresh tone; she’s not trying to curry favor on economic policy or tariffs. Instead, she’s up against one of Trump’s personal passions, one that invokes centuries of complex history, global security, questions about the future of NATO, and the future of the U.S. as a global superpower.
Typically, Denmark and the U.S. enjoy a close relationship. Yet Trump’s interest in Greenland dates back to at least 2019, when he made an unsuccessful offer to buy the island. For its part, Greenland has recently been interested in independence from Denmark—but now says it chooses Denmark over the U.S. and any talk of independence is on hold.
At home, Frederiksen had an approval rating of about 40% in December. It’s possible going up against Trump could boost Danes’ view of her leadership. The PM said that Denmark’s Parliament will be further briefed on the situation tomorrow. I know I’ll be watching to see what she does next.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
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