A senior Greenland official became visibly emotional after a White House meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, failed to soften President Donald Trump’s repeated threats toward the self-governing Arctic territory.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, hoping to lower tensions as the United States intensifies rhetoric about acquiring Greenland — including suggestions it could be taken by force.
“We didn’t manage to change the American position,” Rasmussen, 61, told reporters afterward, according to Politico. “It’s clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland. We made it very, very clear that this is not in the interest of the Kingdom.”
In a live interview with Greenland’s Kalaallit Nunaata Radio from Washington, Motzfeldt, 53, struggled to hold back tears as she described the pressure her government has faced in recent days.
“We have been working very hard in our department, even though there are not many of us,” she said, according to a translation by Clash Report. “I would not normally like to say these words, but I will say them: We are very strong. We are doing our utmost. But the last days, naturally… Oh, I am getting very emotional. I am overwhelmed.”
She continued: “The last days have been tough. Our preparations and the increasing pressure that has been intense. But I want to say, we are strong in the government. The work is to ensure the Greenlandic people in our country can feel safe and live securely. We are using all our strength to achieve this as we continue the work.”
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests Trump’s push has little public support at home. The survey found that just 17% of Americans favor efforts to take over the Danish territory.
The poll, which concluded Tuesday, Jan. 13, also found broad opposition to the idea of using military force to annex the island, with Reuters reporting that “substantial majorities of Democrats and Republicans oppose using military force to annex the island.”
About 66% of respondents — including 91% of Democrats and 40% of Republicans — said they are concerned U.S. moves against Greenland could damage the NATO alliance and strain relationships with European allies.
Trump has argued the issue is about security and strategic leverage. In a two-hour interview with The New York Times on Jan. 7, he said gaining “ownership” of Greenland — beyond expanding the U.S. military footprint — was “psychologically important” to him.
“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, we found that out last week with Venezuela,” Trump, 79, said. “I can’t rely on Denmark being able to fend themselves off.”
