The prime minister of Denmark has issued a defiant rebuke to U.S. President Donald Trump in her annual New Year's speech, insisting that it will "stand firm" against his plans to take over Greenland.
In a televised message Thursday evening, Mette Frederiksen, of the ruling Social Democrats party, said she was rapidly beefing up the Scandinavian kingdom's military force and strengthening security in the Arctic.
Her theme was echoed by King Frederik X's annual New Year's Eve address, who highlighted new military training programs and praised Greenlanders' "strength and pride" in a "turbulent time".
It comes after Trump renewed his campaign to annex the autonomous Danish territory by appointing a new special envoy with the declared intention of "mak[ing] Greenland a part of the U.S."
"Never before have we increased our military strength so significantly, so quickly," Frederiksen told viewers, according to the Danish daily newspaper Berlingske.
"In the past year, we have had to pay attention to a lot. Threats. Pressure. Derogatory language. From our closest ally for a lifetime.
"About wanting to take over another country, another people. As if it it was something you could buy and own ...
"We are not the one's seeking conflict. But let no one be in any doubt: No matter what happens, we will stand firm on what is right and wrong."
Since returning to office in 2025 Trump has stepped up his demands for Greenland to become part of the U.S., at times even suggesting he may mount a military invasion to make it happen.
Last week he sparked fresh outrage from Danish leaders by naming Louisiana's Republican Governor Jeff Landry as the U.S. special envoy to the territory, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark but largely self-governing.
"We need it for national protection," Trump insisted during a press conference on December 23. "They say that Denmark was there 300 years ago or something with a boat. Well, we were there with boats too, I’m sure. So we’ll have to work it all out."
Polls have found that Greenlanders overwhelmingly oppose becoming part of the U.S.
In early December, Denmark's intelligence service branded the U.S. as a potential threat to its national security for the first time in history, citing its willingness to use economic and military power to "enforce its will... even against allies."
King Frederik's speech did not mention Trump specifically, but warned that geopolitics is becoming more dangerous amid the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine and Russian covert operations against its European allies.
"Our greatest strength is to stand united – in the Kingdom of Denmark, in Europe and in NATO," he said, citing a new Arctic training program in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland as an example of Denmark's "stronger defense."
The U.S. consulate in Nuuk, Greenland's capital, is continuing to recruit unpaid interns to help push forward Trump's annexation plans — potentially at the expense of local taxpayers.
In a job listing spotted by the European news site Euractiv, and first posted in 2023, the Consulate advertises four to six month internships giving ambitious students the chance to help "communicate U.S. foreign policy priorities to Greenlandic audiences."
Unpaid internships are reportedly the norm in Denmark, with applicants often supported by generous student subsidies while they work and learn. The Consulate's listing says it's open to such students, meaning Greenlandic and Danish taxpayers would likely foot the interns' living expenses.
