U.S. officials have discussed sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the United States.

Citing sources privy to the development at the White House, news agency Reuters reported that US officials have discussed sending money ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person to Greenlanders to woo them.

The price of such a territory is speculative. According to estimates, “the value of Greenland put forward by economists ranges between $12 billion and more than $1 trillion,” reports The Wall Street Journal. That said, the prospect of spending billions, or even hundreds of billions of dollars of public money to buy an island almost entirely covered in ice could be poorly received by Donald Trump’s electorate, explains the BBC.

From a legal standpoint, any transfer would have to be approved by Greenland itself, while Denmark would retain a political and moral role. If the sale were approved, the funds would be paid to the island, not to Copenhagen, detail our colleagues at TF1 Info.

Nevertheless, Donald Trump and his entourage do not rule out the use of force to take control of Greenland. This scenario seems even more credible after the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. special forces. Since the vast territory, larger than Mexico, has only 56,000 inhabitants, it could be easily controlled by a limited force. However, a U.S. military intervention would deal a blow to NATO and transatlantic relations according to Sud Ouest. (n.d.).

“The president and his national security team are actively discussing it,” said Karoline Leavitt (White House Press Secretary) during a press conference, in response to a question about a possible acquisition, stating that this idea was not “new” for the United States according to

When asked what Washington would gain from such an acquisition given that existing treaties already allow the United States to have a military presence in Greenland, Karoline Leavitt stated that “greater control over the Arctic region” was sought, as well as “ensuring that China and Russia, and our adversaries cannot continue their aggression in this very important and strategic region.” according to Agence France‑Presse.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Legrand, R. (2026, 7 janvier). Groenland : Donald Trump étudie « activement » un « achat ». Agence France‑Presse. La Presse. https://www.lapresse.ca/international/2026-01-07/groenland/donald-trump-etudie-activement-un-achat.php [lapresse.ca ], [lapresse.ca ]

Nath, S. (2026, January 8). Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland: How much would it actually cost? NDTV. https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/donald-trump-wants-to-buy-greenland-how-much-would-it-actually-cost-7456706 [ndtv.com ], [ndtv.com ]

Sud Ouest. (n.d.). (January, 2026). Rachat du Groenland : comment Donald Trump pourrait‑il s’y prendre et combien coûterait‑une telle opération ? Sud Ouest. Repéré le 9 janvier 2026, à l’adresse https://www.sudouest.fr/international/groenland/rachat-du-groenland-comment-donald-trump-pourrait-il-s-y-prendre-et-combien-couterait-une-telle-operation-27333911.php