Might Makes Right: Why Does Donald Trump Want to Invade Greenland?

I always know things have hit a fever pitch on the world news tab when people start asking me certain kinds of questions.

Questions like… 

“Is Donald Trump going to invade Greenland?”

Or…

“Why does Donald Trump want to invade Greenland?”

Or…

“What kind of lunatic threatens to invade Greenland?”

All of these questions are reasonable, and I’ll admit I used to have them myself. But I think the key thing to remember when it comes to Donald Trump is his worldview, which is actually pretty simple…

Might makes right. The strong take from the weak. 

This is why he praises dictators like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping. It’s why he styles himself as one. And it’s how he intends to govern — now unburdened from many of the guardrails that constrained him in his first term.

Speaking of which, this isn’t the first time Trump has attempted to acquire our Nordic neighbor. 

Why Does Donald Trump Want Greenland?

You might recall in 2018 Trump attempted to trade Puerto Rico to Denmark in exchange for Greenland — its autonomous territory.

Miles Taylor, then chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration, later claimed that Trump said, “Puerto Rico was dirty and the people were poor." (Not hard to believe when a speaker at a Trump rally called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” in October.)

“I love maps. And I always said, ‘Look at the size of this. It’s massive. That should be part of the United States,’” Trump apparently said. 

He also approached Denmark about potentially selling the territory outright, and even planned a trip there to hammer out a deal. However, he canceled that trip through a Tweet when it became clear that wasn’t a possibility.

Denmark is "a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump posted.

Honestly, though, this isn’t all that weird. In fact, it’s not even the first time the United States tried to acquire Greenland. 

The U.S. government has attempted to acquire the territory on at least two other occasions, in 1867 and in 1946, when President Harry S. Truman offered $100 million for it.

These offers were made because Greenland does have strategic value. It’s been home to an American radar base since the Cold War, and it serves as a sizable buffer between the United States and Russia via the Arctic. 

And as the earth has warmed, Greenland and its surrounding waters have opened up, creating new lanes for ships to transgress and new access to potential mineral wealth. 

Indeed, the region is believed to hold large deposits of rare earth metals. These are crucial in the production of high-tech devices and weapons but are largely monopolized by China. 

So, in effect, Greenland has two strategic advantages that could curtail threats from America’s two largest adversaries. 

That isn’t new. 

What’s new is Trump’s tone. 

Tariffs and Truculence 

Where he previously offered to trade or purchase Greenland, he’s now threatening to take it by force or extortion. 

"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 statement announcing Ken Howery as America’s new ambassador to Denmark.

Shortly after, at his press conference last week, Trump said Denmark “should give it up, because we need it for national security.”

He then refused to dismiss the notion of using military force or economic coercion to force the issue.

“I can’t assure you on either of those two,” Trump said. “But I can say this: We need them for economic security.”

He also threatened to impose “very high” tariffs on Denmark. And if you’re wondering what impact that might have, I’ll tell you.

The United States imported nearly $12 billion of goods from Denmark in 2023, almost half of which was pharmaceutical products — namely Ozempic and insulin.

In fact, the U.S. gets three-quarters of its insulin from Denmark, while the number of Ozempic users (many of whom are taking advantage of its weight loss properties) has climbed from 569 in 2019 to more than 23,000 today. 

Typically, I wouldn’t suspect a president would raise prices on insulin and prescription drugs to extort an ally into coughing up its territory, but this is Donald Trump we’re talking about. He’s not typical.

Trump doesn’t necessarily do what’s popular; he does what he can get away with. 

Trump has used tariffs to punish allies and adversaries in the past, and he’s made them a key feature of his broader economic policy. There’s a good probability that he’ll declare a national economic emergency upon taking office in order to impose them directly how he sees fit.

Ultimately, though, all of this is ancillary. Because remember, this isn’t just about Greenland.

Trump is also threatening to take back the Panama Canal. He’s invited Canada to become America’s 51st state. And he’s pledged to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

So this isn’t just about the modest strategic advantages Greenland might provide. 

It’s about redrawing the map. It’s about Trump imposing his will. It’s about conquest. 

Might makes right. 

That is the id behind Trump’s foreign policy. Investors would be wise to recognize that and the potentially lucrative impact it’s going to have on the national security industry. 

It’s not just about defense, Trump is going to be proactive. Like I said last week, the defense budget is in line for a massive boost to the tune of $40 billion — from $895 billion currently to somewhere around $935 billion in the next year. 

Invest accordingly.