Danish Prime Minister Tells Trump Greenland Will Decide Its Future

The Danish prime minister told President-elect Trump that Greenland will decide its future in a call Wednesday, according to a press release.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that in her call to the president-elect that Greenland’s independence is its own choice, according to the translation of a statement released by the Danish government.

Frederiksen also underscored in the call “that Danish companies contribute to growth and jobs in the United States, and that the EU and the United States have a common interest in strengthened trade."

President-elect Trump has recently taken aim at Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory controlled by Denmark, as a place that could be a part of the U.S. He has said that the U.S owning the island “is an absolute necessity,” and has not shot down the idea of using military action to acquire it.

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), President-elect Trump’s pick for national security adviser, said last week that Greenland is important for national security.

“This is about critical minerals,” Waltz said in a Fox News interview. “This is about natural resources. This is about, as the polar ice caps pull back, the Chinese are now cranking out icebreakers and pushing up there as well. So, it’s oil and gas. It’s our national security. It’s critical minerals.”

In a recent Suffolk University/USA Today survey, 53 percent of U.S. likely voters said that they were opposed to the U.S. taking over Greenland. Twenty-nine percent of the likely voters said the Greenland takeover is a good idea, but didn’t think it could realistically happen.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.