Greenland becomes a national security issue for the United States. With this in mind, the head of the White House has appointed Jeff Landry, the current governor of Louisiana, as “special envoy of the United States to Greenland”, the autonomous territory of Denmark that the American president has long said he wants to acquire.
Trump appoints Louisiana governor as Greenland envoy
Donald Trump announced Landry’s appointment with a post on Truth, in which he highlights the need to identify a figure who will “forcefully promote the interests” of the United States “for the security and survival of our allies, in fact, of the world”, even in the frozen wastes.
Landry, in office since 2024, an intransigent Republican and Trump loyalist who has long supported the acquisition of the territory of Denmark, said he was satisfied with the appointment. “It is an honor to serve you in this voluntary capacity to make Greenland part of the United States,” Landry wrote on social media, specifying that he will not leave his position as governor of Louisiana.
Denmark has reiterated several times that Greenland is not for sale, despite hosting a small US military base on the island. Following Landry’s appointment, the Danish government recalled the US ambassador to oppose Trump’s unilateral move, which fuels new diplomatic tensions with a European country over the future of the Arctic island. “It is absolutely unacceptable,” commented Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen. Brussels also takes a clear position, in defense of Copenhagen. “The borders of the Kingdom of Denmark, which include Greenland, are inviolable for the EU,” warned the spokesperson for European Foreign Affairs, Anouar el Anouni.
An island rich in raw materials and rare earths (not mined)
Trump has expressed interest in Greenland since the beginning of his mandate, attracted by the rare earths present underground. The president has repeatedly argued that the island would be strategic for the national security of the United States, without excluding the use of force. Mineral resources, crucial for technology, microchips and energy transition, are tempting to the US president. Raw materials are believed to amount to 1.5 million tonnes. The subsoil of the island, especially in the southern area, hides an incredible variety of mineral resources including gold, zinc, lead, copper, nickel and cobalt, but above all rare earths and uranium.
The large presence of these precious materials has attracted the attention of the large multinationals in the sector because, according to what was highlighted by a report by the Joint Research Center of the European Commission, the territory represents almost 20 percent of the available reserves and almost 10 percent of the overall global resources. The EU, which needs to diversify its supply sources from imports from China (a global leader in the production and supply of rare earths), has identified 25 of the 34 minerals on its official list of essential raw materials, including rare earths.
But Trump’s moves also hide geopolitical and military aims. The melting of the polar ice caps has made once impassable waters more navigable, freeing up navigation routes that were closed to commercial traffic. And again, Washington can exploit the active base in the north-west of the island, in Pituffik, to launch missiles towards Russia in a short time or to confront China in closer waters. Trump’s new aims are now concentrated on the frozen island after those already made clear on Venezuela. The US administration wants to get its hands on the two resources around which the world economy revolves: oil and rare earths.
