Because it straddles the Arctic Circle among the United States, Russia and Europe, Greenland is a geopolitical prize that the U.S. and others have eyed for more than 150 years. It’s even more valuable as the Arctic opens up more to shipping and trade.
A Republican member of Congress has introduced a bill to give President Donald Trump authorization to acquire Greenland and rename it "Red, White, and Blueland."
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) introduced the "Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025," which seeks to give the president Congress' approval to start negotiations to acquire Greenland.
Trump has been vocal about his desire to make Greenland part of the United States. Trump has said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of Greenland, an autonomous territory belonging to NATO and European Union member Denmark.
Greenland's government has insisted that the territory isn't for sale but that it is open to cooperation.
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“America is back and will soon be bigger than ever with the addition of Red, White, and Blueland. President Trump has correctly identified the purchase of what is now Greenland as a national security priority, and we will proudly welcome its people to join the freest nation to ever exist when our Negotiator-in-Chief inks this monumental deal," Carter said in a statement on his website.
RT for Red, White, & Blueland 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/DK7QjlxDXj
— Buddy Carter (@RepBuddyCarter) February 11, 2025
It's unclear if the bill will be taken up by House leadership for a vote.
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In an interview in January with SiriusXM radio host Megyn Kelly shortly after the inauguration, Rubio said the president's interest in Greenland was legitimate and driven by national security concerns.
He said Denmark, of which Greenland is a part, did not have the capability to defend Greenland from China as it seeks to gain a presence in the Arctic to exploit shipping routes.
And since Greenland is already covered by the NATO mutual defense pact due to its relationship with Denmark, it made sense for the U.S. to have a greater presence and authority there.
“If we’re already on the hook for having to do that, we might as well have more control over what happens there. I know it’s a delicate topic for Denmark, but it’s again a national interest item for the United States," Rubio said.
In Greenland, Trump’s remarks have fueled a generational fight for full independence from Denmark and become a key issue ahead of elections in March. Some of its leaders have said the world’s largest island, home to 57,000 people, doesn’t want to be part of the United States or Denmark.
“The unfortunate rhetoric has caused a lot of worry and concern not only in Greenland but the rest of the Western Alliance,” Naaja H. Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister of business and trade, told The Associated Press.
There has been no comment publicly yet from Greenland on Carter's bill, but its officials have regularly said the land is not for sale.
