1. Denied that Denmark has real defense
Trump has said that Denmark “barely has any defense” in Greenland and that the defense efforts are like having “two dog sleds” there. It sounds like a joke – but it is misleading because Denmark actually has an established military presence, including a joint Arctic command, ships, aircraft and the Danish Sirius Dog Sled Patrol that actually maintains sovereignty in the Arctic terrain. 2. Exaggerated – or made up – Russian and Chinese military activity. Source .
2. Exaggerated – or made up – Russian and Chinese military activity
Trump has repeatedly claimed that there are “Russian and Chinese warships and submarines around Greenland” and that this poses a serious threat to US security. Experts and Nordic defense officials have said this is not true – there is no such massive presence of foreign warships around Greenland, and Russian activity is mainly in the Barents Sea far east of Greenland. Source .
3. Reduced Denmark’s sovereignty with historical arguments
Trump has questioned Denmark’s claim to Greenland, arguing that ”a ship landing there 500 years ago” does not give them the right to own the land. That is a misrepresentation of international law and sovereignty – Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Danish realm with internationally recognized ownership. Source .
4. False claim that Greenlandic leaders or residents “asked for a US delegation”
In March 2025, Trump said that representatives from Greenland had asked the United States to send a delegation. The Greenlandic government explicitly said that this was not true , and that there had been no such official invitation. Source .
/ By Ingemar Lindmark