Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island

As President Donald Trump makes a very public effort to acquire Greenland, one former Danish official said Trump's attempts are nothing new -- but he shouldn't expect it to be easy. Interest in buying Greenland has "popped up from time to time in American politics," Tom Høyem, Denmark's minister to Greenland from 1982 to 1987, told ABC News in an interview.

Høyem, 83, discussed Greenland's political importance over the years, as well as his reaction to Trump's recent desire to buy the island territory.

"Trump is living in a narrative where this has been an issue for the last 150 years," Høyem said.

The purchase of Greenland has been a topic of conversation since before World War II, when Denmark sold the Danish West Indies -- now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands -- to the United States in 1917 for $25 million, Høyem said. Many American policymakers argued the U.S. should also acquire Greenland as well, according to Høyem.

"[President] Woodrow Wilson at first said, 'No, it's not worth anything at all. It's just ice. I don't want it.' But there was such a big debate in the U.S. that he was forced to do something," Høyem said.

When Wilson asked for ownership of Greenland, the Danish minister at the time replied, "No," according to Høyem. Wilson signed an agreement in 1917 stating the United States recognizes Greenland as Danish, Høyem said.

In the document discussing the transfer of the Danish West Indies, then-Secretary of State Robert Lansing wrote, "In preceding this day to the signature of the Convention respecting the cessation of the Danish West-Indian Island to the United States of America, the undersigned Secretary of State of the United States of America, duly authorized by his Government, has the honor to declare that the Government of the United States of America will not object to the Danish Government extending their political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland."

If Denmark was to ever sell Greenland to any country, Høyem said the United Kingdom would receive the first right to buy it, since the U.K. held dominion over Canada at the time of the treaty.

"Canada is only 20 kilometers away. That's why the British said, 'If Denmark ever sells Greenland, we should be the first to decide whether to take it or not,'" Høyem told ABC News.

Now, with Trump saying he wants to purchase Greenland, Høyem said history is repeating itself.

"Trump grew up hearing these stories," Høyem said. "His generation and his parents' generation often heard about U.S. attempts to buy Greenland."

Trump has repeatedly expressed his interest in acquiring the island territory, beginning during his first administration when he tried to buy Greenland, but instead gave $12 million for economic development. Trump has since restated his interest in buying the territory shortly before his second inauguration.

"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," Trump said in a December 2024 statement.

Trump said the purchase was needed for security purposes, adding he is "protecting the free world." The U.S. also operates Putiffik Space Base, the Defense Department's northern-most base, which sits on the coast of Greenland.

"You have approximately 45,000 people there. People really don't even know if Denmark has any legal right to it," Trump said, without explanation, during a Jan. 7 press conference at Mar-a-Lago. "But if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security. That's for the free world."

Greenland is also rich in valuable minerals, including rare earth metals, precious metals, precious stones, and uranium, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Association. While that may sound appealing to a potential buyer, Høyem said mining there is extremely expensive.

Trump's son, Donald Trump, Jr., visited Greenland on Jan. 7, but stated the visit was for personal reasons. During this trip, his father said on social media, "Don. Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland. The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also reiterated an interest in the U.S. securing Greenland during his Senate confirmation hearings.

"Putting aside all the things that are going on in the media, I think we need to understand that Greenland's been strategically important to the United States and to the West for a very long time," Rubio said. "I think we now have the opportunity to see it for what it is, and that is one, if not the most important, one of the most critical parts of the world over the next 50 to 100 years will be whether there's going to be freedom of navigation in the Arctic and what that will mean for global trade and commerce."

Høyem said he does not know Trump, but thinks "he needs to be briefed a bit more by his civil servants."

"His new minister of foreign affairs spoke to the Danish foreign minister -- my party leader and friend -- and they both agreed: 'Let's not discuss Greenland for now,'" Høyem said.

The prime minister of Greenland, Múte Egsede, has rejected the idea of selling Greenland to Trump, saying, "Greenland is ours."

"We are not for sale and will never be for sale," Egsede said in a statement. "We must not lose our long struggle for freedom."

Officials from Denmark also have not supported Trump's Greenmark proposal, including Danish politician Anders Vistisen, who explicitly urged the newly elected president to "f--- off."

"Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years," Vistisen said during a European Parliament meeting on Jan. 21 in Strasbourg, France. "It's an integrated part of our country. It is not for sale."

Høyem said if Greenland decided to become independent, "they would immediately be targeted by major global powers." Until then, Høyem said the territory needs more U.S. military investment to help defend it.

"I personally can't imagine Greenland becoming fully independent," Høyem said. "Running a country that large with so few people is nearly impossible."

Regardless of the future of Trump's Greenland proposal, Høyem said the land holds significant power.

"Trump might have looked at Greenland as a real estate deal, but for Denmark and Greenland, it's a matter of geopolitical survival," Høyem said. "The Arctic is extremely important, and I agree with Trump on that."

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