Name: Trump administration mulls paying Greenlanders to join U.S.
Uploaded: 2026-01-09T08:11:54.917Z
Duration: 2 min 30 s
Description: U.S. officials have discussed sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the United States, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

U.S. officials have discussed sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the United States, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

Washington

U.S. officials have reportedly discussed the possibility of offering lump-sum payments ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 to residents of Greenland as part of an effort to persuade them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the United States. The plan, which has not been officially confirmed, is said to be motivated by U.S. interests in Greenland's mineral resources and national security significance.

European leaders, including those from Denmark and other NATO allies, have strongly rejected the idea, emphasizing that only Greenland and Denmark can decide their future relationship. The European Union and several member states have expressed concern over the U.S. proposal, calling it a threat to European territorial integrity. Both the Danish embassy and Greenland's representative office in Washington have declined to comment on the matter.

Trump administration mulls paying Greenlanders to join U.S.

U.S. officials have discussed sending lump-sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the United States. That's according to four sources familiar with the matter. While the exact dollar figure and logistics of any payment are unclear, two of the sources said the figures ranged anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000. The idea of directly paying residents of Greenland, an overseas territory of Denmark, offers one explanation of how the U.S. might attempt to buy the island of 57,000 people. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. needs to acquire the island for several reasons, including for its minerals and for national security. Authorities in Copenhagen and Nuuk have asserted that Greenland is not for sale. I guess my advice to European leaders and anybody else would be to take the president of the United States seriously. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday said acquiring Greenland is important to the U.S. So what we're asking our European friends to do is to take the security of that landmass more seriously, because if they're not, the United States is going to have to do something about it. Leaders throughout Europe have reacted to Trump's comments with disdain, particularly given that the U.S. and Denmark are NATO allies bound by a mutual defense agreement. France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain and Denmark issued a joint statement this week saying only Greenland and Denmark can decide matters regarding their relations. Here's European Union foreign policy chief Kaya Kallis on Thursday. Of course, the messages that we hear regarding Greenland are extremely concerning, and we have had discussions also among the Europeans. So, you know, if this is a real threat and if it is, then what would be our response? Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday said his country denounced what he called a threat to the territorial integrity of a European state. It is evident that we live in a new world, a world that is even more multipolar, more hostile, more disorderly. One source said White House aides were eager to carry over the momentum from the Maduro operation toward accomplishing Trump's other longstanding geopolitical goals. The Danish embassy declined to comment, and Greenland's representative office in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

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