‘Dream come true’: Trump on new US-Denmark deal for Greenland

US has struck a deal with Denmark and Greenland to expand its military footprint on the island and shut out rivals but Trump's dream of actually owning Greenland is still off the table.

4 min readSep 19, 2026 09:35 AM IST First published on: Sep 19, 2026 at 09:34 AM IST

President Donald Trump holds documents as he speaks about healthcare in the Oval Office of the White House. (Photo: AP)

The United States, Denmark and Greenland have agreed to a new deal. It lets America build up a much bigger military presence on the Arctic island. But it does not hand the control of Greenland over to the US, according to Reuters.

President Donald Trump shared the news on his platform, Truth Social, on Friday. He said the deal has no end date, and that America will always have the right to defend Greenland and keep it safe.

What did Trump actually say?

Trump said Washington worked closely with Denmark and Greenland to reach the agreement. In his own words, he said the US would “FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland” to keep it secure.

He also called the outcome “a dream come true for the United States of America”.

BREAKING: President Donald J. Trump announces complete and permanent American security control over Greenland, and excludes any adversary from Greenland and the surrounding region. pic.twitter.com/MVuT4yAfG5

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 18, 2026

Even so, Reuters notes this falls well short of Trump’s long-standing wish to buy Greenland outright and make it American territory.

What will actually change on the ground?

Under the deal, no country seen as a US rival will be allowed to build military bases on Greenland. America, on the other hand, gets far more freedom to expand its own military presence there.

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This isn’t starting from zero. The US already had wide rights to fly over and use bases in Greenland, thanks to a treaty signed back in 1951. Trump hinted that a large new military build-up is coming, adding to the one Space Force base already sitting in Greenland’s remote northwest.

Why does this matter to Denmark and Greenland?

Denmark’s government struck a positive tone. A statement from the Danish prime minister’s office said the deal would make security stronger across the North Atlantic and the wider Arctic region.

Greenland’s own prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the agreement respects Greenland’s interests and its role on the world stage. He kept his reaction simple, saying only: “This benefits us all.”

English translation of the release from the Government of Greenland: pic.twitter.com/Fqa5ICbKZi

— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) September 18, 2026

That said, plenty remains unclear including whether the US will actually build new bases as a result of this deal. Reuters points out that Trump’s social media posts about deals like this often leave out the details.

Is everyone on board with this?

Greenland’s own people have long hoped for independence one day, and many have pushed back against past US attempts to gain more control over the island, Reuters reports.

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An outside expert also raised doubts about how the deal was reached. A former Pentagon official, now at the Atlantic Council think tank, suggested the US could likely have got most of what it wanted through normal diplomacy without putting strain on ties with NATO allies.

What is Washington saying?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed the deal strongly. He said it deals with America’s security worries about Greenland “permanently and completely.” He added that Greenland will always sit inside North America’s strategic defence zone, with rivals kept out of the island and the surrounding area.

A US State Department official, who wasn’t named, filled in a few more details. According to this official, the deal blocks any country outside NATO from building bases in Greenland. Only the US and its allies will be allowed to make what were called “sensitive investments” there. The official also said America now has permanent rights to access, use bases in, and fly over Greenland rights that would stay in place even if Greenland becomes an independent country one day.

This deal boosts America’s military role in Greenland and locks rivals out, but it stops short of the outright ownership Trump once pushed for. Many of the finer details including what new bases might actually be built are still unclear.

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