The president-elect Donald Trump maintains the rhetoric of taking control of Greenland, to the point that this Tuesday he did not rule out the use of military force to assume this territory from Denmark and the Panama Canal. The mentions by the Republican about this large Danish island are becoming more intense, but Why does he want to take possession of it?
Greenland is a multimillionaire territory with precious stones and minerals that make it unique, to which its strategic location could be added.
"In order to ensure National Security and Freedom worldwide, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," were Trump's words last December when he appointed Ken Howery as ambassador to Denmark.
Wealth of Greenland and reasons of Donald Trump
Greenland is the largest island in the world with an area of 2,175,600 km². In terms of its wealth, it has deposits of gold, graphite, lithium, iron, rubies, oil, gas, uranium, and rare earth deposits. Many of these are essential for manufacturing electric vehicles, cell phones, transmission lines, wind turbines, and flat-screen TVs.
Fishing is their main source of income, representing 85% of their exports. Being the second largest ice reserve on the planet, it is very attractive to tourists, so they offer cruises and diving plans to the depths of the Arctic. Hunting is another one of their economic sources.
“The world's largest deposit of rare earth minerals, probably containing 50% of the total... It is one of the top 10 mines in the world,” said geologist Greg Barnes to the BBC in a report titled ‘Greenland: a country walking on billions of dollars’.
Despite Greenland's great mineral wealth, many fear that the exploitation of these resources will alter its biodiversity.
The New York Post reviewed that Alex Plitsas, a non-resident member of the Atlantic Council, indicated that "there are two main reasons" for Donald Trump to take control of Greenland.
“The first are the large deposits of rare earth elements necessary for critical defense and electronics manufacturing. Second, Greenland has a legitimately large claim to the Arctic and that would provide the United States with a stronger position as competition heats up there for navigation and resources,” Plitsas stated.
In a statement in 2023, the Wilson Center expressed that "with the growing demand for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and advanced electronics, the United States depends heavily on critical materials to drive innovation and maintain its global economic competitiveness."
Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, stated that rare earth minerals “are used in most forms of national defense, technologies, missiles, tanks, satellites, warships, fighter jets, and as a result, securing them becomes a national security imperative.”