Greenland, Trump and a shaken Denmark: An Irishman’s view from Copenhagen

11 Jan 2026, 07:30 by Conor McMahon, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/conor-mcmahon/ · TheJournal.ie

ACCORDING TO DANISH tradition, Santa Claus – or “Christmas Man”, as he’s known here – doesn’t hail from Lapland in Finland. Instead, he comes from Greenland.

When I moved from Kildare to Copenhagen in 2021, this little piece of trivia was about the height of everyday observations about Greenland. The world’s largest island and former Danish colony rarely, if ever, came up as a topic of daily conversation. A lot has changed since then.

In 2025, when US President Donald Trump revived his idea that America should buy Greenland, many Danes dismissed the proposal as bluster. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dubbed it “absurd” (a “nasty” thing to say, according to Trump). Greenlanders protested that the island was not for sale. More than 200,000 people reacted by signing a humorous petition suggesting that Denmark should buy California.

Fast-forward to this week and the mood in Denmark is much more sombre. Trump’s renewed statements that America should control Greenland are being taken seriously, especially after the US intervention in Venezuela. Suddenly, the thought of Trump capturing Nuuk without the consent of Denmark or Greenland — which both fall under the Nato military alliance — doesn’t seem so far-fetched.

The Danish government has been in crisis mode all week. The prime minister has been scrambling to shore up support from European leaders to stop Trump. A special meeting on Tuesday night saw foreign minister and political force Lars Løkke Rasmussen try to cool the temperature. He and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, desperately want dialogue with the United States and are eager to meet secretary of state Marco Rubio.

Why Greenland?

Many Danish commentators argue that there is no need for the US to be so aggressive in its stance. They point to a 1951 defence agreement that already gives the States extensive rights to maintain and expand a military presence in Greenland. If the US is so concerned about security threats, it could just do that without any reluctance from the Danes.

When it comes to determining Greenland’s future, there is a broad consensus in Denmark that the decision belongs to the island’s 56,000 inhabitants through a referendum. All major political parties in Greenland aspire to eventual independence. The question is not if, but when. A 2025 poll found that 56% of Greenlanders would vote yes to Greenlandic independence if a referendum were held at the time of the survey. In the same poll, 85% opposed leaving the Danish kingdom to become part of the United States.

Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo

One question that often comes up in Copenhagen is how Greenland’s economy would fare after independence. The island is still heavily dependent on block grants and other financial support from Denmark. Danes seem to feel a sense of responsibility for its safeguarding and refer to various historical ties over the centuries.

Unsurprisingly, Danish media have been covering the Trump-Greenland story in a constant cycle. The topic dominates newspaper headlines and nightly television. It has become a regular fixture on the likes of Aftenshowet, Denmark’s answer to Prime Time. What is striking is the tone of the reporting. The situation is being treated not as political theatre, which the US president is often accused of, but as a genuine geopolitical threat to Danish sovereignty, Greenland’s right to self-determination and – perhaps most unsettling of all for the Danes – the future of NATO.

People back home in Ireland are probably familiar with the Danish concept of “hygge”, a philosophy that promotes savouring small, everyday moments like unwinding at home with some nice candles or having a coffee in a cosy café. Less well-known is the concept of “tryghed” – feeling safe and secure – which plays just as important a role in Danish society.

To promote tryghed (pronounced something like “truck-hill”, in case you’re wondering), Denmark has ramped up defence spending. Everyone in the country has been advised to keep at least three days’ worth of emergency supplies at home.

But there is still quite a bit of anxiety here about the thought of America undermining NATO and small nations like Denmark. Last year, citizens watched helplessly as suspected Russian drone activity shut down major airports. They experienced the chaos of what happens when the country’s entire digital payments system shuts down (it was caused by a technical glitch, but the incident gave food for thought when critical infrastructure fails).

Feeling threatened

Among my Danish friends and colleagues, the response to this week’s news has been a mix of disbelief and anger. Big geopolitical questions hang over everyday interactions. Watercooler conversations can quickly shift from the recent heavy snowfall to preparing for a crisis by stocking up on emergency radios and canned tuna. There is genuine unease. I’ve heard people admit they are sleeping badly. Others say they are deliberately avoiding the news because they find it too unnerving.