Who owns Greenland? The story of the world’s largest island, which is in the spotlight of the U.S.

On Jan. 3, global attention was focused on Venezuela following a U.S. military operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro, who was taken to New York to stand trial alongside his wife on alleged drug trafficking charges.

After the operation, which placed Delcy Rodríguez in charge of a political transition widely viewed as a U.S.-led intervention in Venezuela’s political and economic system, American officials began pointing to other regions of strategic interest to Washington.

Many of those ideas, laid out in the National Security Strategy published several weeks earlier, reflect a return to the Monroe Doctrine, positioning the United States as the dominant power in the Western Hemisphere.

Why Greenland is back in the spotlight

Beyond Latin America, other parts of the Northern Hemisphere are also watching Washington closely. One of them is Greenland, a territory Trump openly tried to purchase five years ago during his first term.

That idea resurfaced forcefully after a social media post by Katie Miller, the wife of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. The image showed Greenland covered by the U.S. flag, accompanied by a single word: “SOON.”

The notion of bringing Greenland under U.S. control has long been a fixation for Trump. He has repeatedly spoken about asserting control over the Panama Canal and has revived the idea of buying the island, even acknowledging that he would not rule out the use of force to achieve that goal. His vice president, JD Vance, even visited Greenland earlier this year.

The question remains: Can Donald Trump actually buy Greenland?

Greenland’s political status explained

Greenland’s political status is complex. In 1814, it became a Danish colony after centuries of joint Norwegian and Danish rule. In 1953, with the adoption of Denmark’s constitution, Greenland was formally incorporated into the Kingdom of Denmark, similar to a Commonwealth-style arrangement within the Danish Crown. It effectively became a county of Denmark, with equal standing based on historical ties.

In 1979, Denmark granted Greenland home rule, and in 2009 transferred most governing powers to the Greenlandic government. Today, Greenland is largely self-governing, but foreign affairs, defense and monetary policy remain under Danish control.

For that reason, Greenland is considered part of Denmark. It is not a member of the European Union, although it has two representatives in the Danish Parliament.

Denmark pushes back against Trump

Since Trump first floated the idea of buying Greenland, Denmark’s response has been unambiguous. Danish leaders have repeatedly emphasized that the island is not for sale and have taken symbolic and practical steps to reinforce sovereignty, including changes to national heraldry.

Copenhagen has also responded by increasing military spending to underscore Denmark’s control over Greenland.

After Katie Miller’s post, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a sharp warning, urging the United States to end what she described as threats against a historically close ally and against another country and its people, who have made it clear that they are not for sale.

Frederiksen argued that Washington’s position makes little sense, noting that Greenland is already part of NATO and that a long-standing defense agreement allows the United States access to the island when needed.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens Frederik Nielsen, was even more direct, calling it “disrespectful” for Trump to speak publicly about America’s supposed need to control the territory.

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