Trump Joins the Historic List of Leaders Eyeing Greenland

“If you had asked me a decade ago whether I’d be discussing Greenland in an interview, I would have never placed it high on my list of potential media topics,” remarks John C. Mitcham, a historian from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. “But it’s both fascinating and somewhat unsettling to hear the echoes of the past—this Victorian-era language around sovereignty and security resurfacing today.”

Mitcham continues: “We’re framing this discussion in the context of Greenland, Canada, and Trump, but this rhetoric also applies to situations like Russia’s annexation of Crimea or China’s maritime ambitions in the Pacific. It’s really a case of, what’s the expression? New wine in old bottles.”

While some critics have scorned the president-elect over his bold expansionist aspirations to annex Greenland, history shows that U.S. statesmen have long been eyeing the island, driven by geopolitical imperatives and military strategy. This isn’t the first time the United States has looked to buy Greenland.

The idea was first proposed in 1867 when William H. Seward, then the influential secretary of state, floated the purchase not long after securing Alaska from Russia. Seward, an avid expansionist known to harbor ambitions even for Canada, considered acquiring Greenland as “worthy of serious consideration.” To strengthen his case, Seward commissioned a study, much like a modern leader might prepare a pitch to investors for a grand project.

“The resulting document—which Seward had printed and distributed among lawmakers—was far from impartial in its findings,” wrote historian Jeff Ludwig, who serves as the director of education at the Seward House Museum in Auburn, New York, in a 2019 article.

Indeed, the study, A Report on the Resources of Iceland and Greenland, certainly didn’t downplay the island’s potential. Its author, Benjamin Peirce, a surveyor, painted an enticing picture of Greenland, praising its rich wildlife, fisheries, and mineral resources, including coal. He even marveled at its sheer size, which he noted was “largely more than half the size of all Europe.”

This historical narrative shows that the allure of Greenland, both for its strategic and natural resources, has remained consistent over the years, even as the geopolitical stage shifts.