President Donald Trump renewed his push for the United States to take control of Greenland on Tuesday, using a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the NATO summit to double down on his positions regarding the Arctic territory and European defense.
While answering questions from reporters at the start of proceedings in the Turkish capital, Trump explicitly tied the autonomous Danish territory to broader tensions within the transatlantic alliance.
“Well, that’s what hurt my relationship with NATO, because Greenland doesn’t help Denmark,” Trump said. “Denmark doesn’t spend money to really help Greenland, but it’s an important part for the United States, and it’s surrounded by China ships and Russian ships, and that’s not going to happen.”
The status of the massive, strategically located island has been a recurring point of contention since Trump first publicly floated the idea of Washington purchasing it from Denmark. Copenhagen and Greenland’s local government have repeatedly rejected the proposal, maintaining that the territory is not for sale.
During Tuesday’s press availability, Trump emphasized his view that geopolitical realities necessitate a shift in administration.
“The ships — that’s not going to happen. It was Greenland that, in my [view] — and it continues to be — that should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” Trump said. “And when they wouldn’t go along with it, and with all the money we spend to help them with Russia — and we don’t have to spend any money, we could remove all of our soldiers out of Europe — because, as you probably noticed, Europe is a very different place than it was 20 years ago.”
Trump concluded his remarks by warning European nations that they face pressing domestic liabilities, specifically highlighting demographic and resource challenges.
“A lot different. Much different. They’re much different, and they better be careful with immigration and energy. If they’re not careful with those two things, you’re not going to have a Europe anymore. Okay, thank you very much, everybody,” Trump said.
The exchange in Ankara quickly drew coverage from American broadcasters covering the high-stakes summit. Returning to the network’s broadcast following the live feed of the bilateral meeting, Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer noted the unpredictable nature of the event.
“That’s pretty good stuff here in Ankara as this NATO summit gets underway,” Hemmer said. “We don’t want to leave it for long, because you’re never quite sure when you’re going to miss something here. We think it’s concluded, but that’s never a sure thing.”
Hemmer, alongside co-anchor Dana Perino, then transitioned into a broader summary of the summit’s initial hours, noting that the conversations among world leaders have extended well beyond Arctic security to encompass ongoing global conflicts.
“Good morning, everybody. Welcome to America’s Newsroom — Bill Hemmer, Dana Perino. Good morning. Hello to you. On a Tuesday here, on the Ukraine war, he called it carnage, talking about this human meat grinder of a war that continues,” Hemmer told viewers. “There’s going to be a lot of discussions about Iran. And with regard to NATO and Iran, he said, ‘I wanted loyalty from NATO, but we don’t need their help.’ And a lot of other discussions, too, on topics.”
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