U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed insistence that Greenland should become part of the United States has triggered unease across the island, exposing a sharp gap between Washington’s alleged security and local fears over sovereignty and social disruption. Trump has said Greenland will become American “one way or another” and has not ruled out military force, positioning the island as vital to U.S. national security while dismissing Denmark’s ability to defend it. For Greenlanders, the language signals not protection but coercion, particularly as the island’s untapped mineral wealth becomes central to the newly emerged debate about its control.

Greenland, while politically part of the Kingdom of Denmark, sits geographically in North America and gained home rule in 1979, followed by expanded autonomy under the 2009 Self-Government Act. It remains sparsely populated and inhospitable, yet holds deposits of zinc, iron, uranium, graphite, and what is believed to be the world’s eighth-largest reserves of rare-earth elements. These materials are critical for wind turbines, electric vehicles, smartphones, missile systems, and fighter jets. China controls about 60% of global rare-earth reserves and processes roughly 90%, a concentration Washington has repeatedly identified as a strategic vulnerability.

“I Am Terrified to Be American”

In Ilulissat, a fishing town beside a UNESCO listed ice fjord, fisherman Joel Hansen described to Al Jazeera deep personal fears about the prospect of U.S. control. “I am terrified to be American,” Hansen said, adding, “I have seen Alaskan Inuits, how hard they are living.” Hansen, who has fished the surrounding waters for 14 years, said Greenland’s current system allows him “freedom to work for ourselves,” a freedom he fears would be lost under U.S. administration.

Despite Greenland’s complex colonial history with Denmark dating back to 1721, Hansen said remaining within the Danish kingdom felt preferable to annexation. “We have a lot of minerals in Greenland, so we can be a nation if we want,” he said. “We don’t need money from Trump.”

Greenland currently has only two operating mines, but many residents argue that future development should remain under Greenlandic control rather than external extraction.

Indigenous Identity Versus Power Politics

Concerns extend beyond economics to cultural survival. Inuit Greenlander Karl Sandgreen, head of the Ilulissat Icefjord Visitor Center, said hopes rested on restraint from U.S. officials ahead of high-level talks in Washington involving Danish and Greenlandic leaders. “My hope is that Rubio is going to have some humanity in that talk,” he said, warning that resource driven decision making risks undermining a way of life built over thousands of years. “This is my daughter’s and my son’s future, not a future for people who are thinking about resources.”

Public sentiment across Greenland reflects similar unease. Residents interviewed described sleeplessness, fear, and disbelief at Washington’s approach. One said, “Trump spoils my sleep. They have no respect for us,” while another added, “He wants Greenland’s minerals to pay off the national debt of the United States.” A third recalled, “I dreamt about him last night… nightmare. He was coming with a ship.”

Denmark, NATO, And Firm Rejection

Greenlandic Energy Minister Naaja Nathanielsen rejected any notion of annexation, stating, “We have no intentions of becoming American. We are quite happy with being part of the Kingdom of Denmark.” Her remarks align with Denmark’s stance that Greenland is not for sale and that sovereignty must be respected.