U.S.-Denmark Tensions Flare as Trump Appoints Special Envoy to 'Lead the Charge' for Greenland

President Donald has escalated his pursuit of , reasserting on Monday that the needs the vast Arctic island for national security and appointing a special envoy to "lead the charge." The move triggered a sharp rebuke from and , who called the overture "completely unacceptable."

Speaking to reporters in Palm Beach, Florida, framed his interest in the self-governing Danish territory in stark security terms. "We need for national security, not for minerals," he said. "If you take a look at , you look up and down the coast, you have and ships all over the place. We have to have it."

The statement followed his appointment on Sunday of Governor Jeff as his special envoy to . , a public supporter of the idea, confirmed on X it's a "volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the " that would not affect his gubernatorial duties.

The reaction from and was swift and unequivocal. In a joint statement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated, "You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security... Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders."

Tensions escalated on Monday when Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen announced he would summon Ambassador Kenneth Howery. "Out of nowhere, there is now a special presidential representative, who, according to himself, is tasked with taking over . This is, of course, completely unacceptable," Rasmussen told TV2.

Adding economic pressure, the administration also suspended leases on Monday for five large offshore wind projects off the East Coast, two of which are being developed by state-controlled Orsted.

The diplomatic spat puts a strain on a longstanding alliance. has recently increased its investment in Arctic defense to address security concerns. "It is a difficult situation that our allies for a lifetime are putting us in," Prime Minister Frederiksen said in an Instagram post.

Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a professor at the University of Copenhagen, told Reuters the appointment signals a failure of Danish diplomacy. "This appointment shows that all the money has invested in ... and all the friendly things we have said to the Americans, have had no effect at all."