President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Greenland is “vital” for the Golden Dome missile defense system, reiterating arguments that U.S. possession of Denmark’s territory is critical for national security.
The president also urged NATO to support Greenland’s acquisition on the basis that it will boost the alliance’s defense capabilities against Russia and China. His statement came just hours ahead of a meeting Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are holding at the White House with Denmark and Greenland’s top diplomats.
“The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security,” Trump said in a post to Truth Social.
“It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, NATO would not be an effective force or deterrent – Not even close! They know that, and so do I. NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” he added. “Anything less than that is unacceptable.”
Trump has attracted sweeping condemnation from authorities presiding over Denmark and Greenland over his hopes to either purchase Greenland or take it over with military force. The meeting on Wednesday between Vance and Rubio, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, will seek to advance discussions and smooth over tensions.
The president has refused to back away from his position on the Danish territory, frequently citing its strategic location in the Arctic. Trump’s most recent comments, stating the island is essential for the cutting-edge missile defense system the U.S. is building, come after he called last week for a 50% increase in U.S. defense spending to produce “an unparalleled Military Force.” If successful, the move would set military spending at $1.5 trillion in 2027.
Some of those funds would go to advance the Golden Dome system, which is meant to intercept threats from reaching the U.S., and comes with a hefty price tag.
Trump said last May the dome would cost around $175 billion and be completed before his second term ends. A Congressional Budget Office report put the cost much higher, at $542 billion to $831 billion over 20 years. An analysis from the American Enterprise Institute put the cost at a minimum of $252 billion over the same time frame.
Congress secured nearly $25 billion in funding for the Golden Dome last year in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The Golden Dome will make its debut in Guam, according to James Moylan, the U.S. territory’s Republican congressional delegate to the House of Representatives. Guam, home to two major U.S. military bases, holds a strategic location, sitting roughly 1,800 miles off of China’s coast.
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“It’s the hottest area there is right now,” Moylan told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “We’re protecting the homeland, we’re protecting the people of Guam and all our allies out there, as well, once we can deter right there.”
“We’re having an army battalion come on over there because we’re getting the Golden Dome,” he added. “This is where the president wants to see it work. This is where it’s starting — on Guam.”
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