Greenlanders reject Trump’s renewed push for control of island

Houses are seen near the coast of a sea inlet of Nuuk, Greenland, on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)

NUUK - Greenlanders attending a traditional kayaking championship in Nuuk rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed call for U.S. control of the Arctic island on Wednesday, saying its future should be decided by Greenlanders themselves.

Speaking at a NATO summit in Turkiye’s Ankara, Trump this week renewed his demand to gain control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory, arguing it was important for U.S. national security.

At the kayaking championships in Nuuk harbor, where competitors performed rolling maneuvers in the water by flipping their kayaks upside down and back upright, spectators said Trump was focused on the island’s natural resources rather than the wishes of its people.

“He only thinks of commodities and oil,” said Frederik Larsen, 72, a pensioner born in Greenland. “I think we can manage without him.”

Public school teacher Birgithe Geisler, 60, said Greenland belonged to Greenlanders.

“No one else should decide for us,” she said.

Hans David Ezekiassen, an instructor at the Greenland Maritime Center, was more blunt.

“I think it’s shit, to put it mildly,” he said.

“He can’t even control his own country, so why must he try to take over other countries?”

Andy Thon, 49, an engineer and member of Qajaq USA participating in the championships, said Greenland was already on a path towards greater autonomy with Denmark.

“With Denmark, they’re making their way towards full autonomy and the U.S. wouldn’t need Greenland as a strategic point if the U.S. was playing nicely with our allies,” he said.

Trump’s remarks drew fresh pushback from Danish and Greenlandic leaders. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Wednesday that repeated calls to take over the island did not change the fact that Greenland is not for sale.

Reporting by Tim Barsoe in Nuuk, writing by Essi Lehto and Louise Rasmussen, editing by Aurora Ellis