Why Does Trump Care So Much About Greenland?
You had questions. I have answers.
Good morning! It’s Friday, January 23, 2026. I hope everyone is staying warm and safe ahead of the winter storm set to sweep across the U.S. this weekend.
This morning, we’ve got a jam-packed Q&A column, answering your questions on two big categories that a lot of readers were curious about: Greenland and ICE. We’ll discuss:
Why President Trump cares so much about Greenland
How the new deal with Denmark differs from the rights in Greenland the U.S. already had
Whether Trump will reverse himself on Greenland once again
And how territorial purchases have historically been handled in the U.S. — is that something the president can do on his own, or does it take approval from Congress?
AND we’ll look at:
Why deportations are a civil, not criminal, process — i.e. why it’s something that gets done through the executive branch without much judicial intervention
What the new ICE memo on home arrests means
And how much ICE has grown under Trump
That’s a lot to get to, but I think you all will learn a lot and find these answers interesting! Thanks so much for the great questions. Let’s dive in…
Greenland
Q: What is the President’s obsession with Greenland?
As is generally the case with Trump, he’s coming at this issue for a mix of reasons, some of them stronger than others. In this case, I think you can break out a strong reason, a strong reason with potential self-interest involved, and a self-interested reason. Let’s take them one at a time.
The strong reason is that Greenland genuinely sits in a strategic position, in between the United States and Russia. As the Associated Press notes, any nuclear-armed missile coming at the U.S. from Russia or China (or being sent from the U.S. to those countries) would fly over Greenland, which is why the U.S. already has its Pituffik Space Base there, outfitted with radar technology designed to track any ballistic missile launches.
This positions Greenland to play a key role in Trump’s proposed Golden Dome missile defense system, as a logical place to station interceptors that could destroy nuclear warheads. As Arctic sea ice melts, Greenland is also located near new trading routes that are likely to take on economic importance in the years ahead, adding to its strategic value.
Now onto the strong reason that might have a dose of self-interest.