Trump tells rallies the US now has Greenland, claiming Denmark handed it over

President Donald Trump has told campaign rallies that the United States now has Greenland^1,2. In Michigan, he insisted, “Oh, you know we did get Greenland,” suggesting that the territory was now under US control¹.

At a rally in Georgia on 24 October, he continued to claim that Denmark had given Greenland to the United States². He said he believes Denmark’s government agreed to place Greenland under US control³. He also claimed that the United States had secured control over both Greenland and Venezuela⁴, and described the arrangements as the greatest deal in real estate⁸.

Trump has said the United States now owns Greenland following an agreement with Denmark signed approximately two weeks earlier⁵. He also said the United States is working with Denmark on the matter⁶.

Why it matters to investors

Coverage of the claim is divided on one central point. Some reports state plainly that Trump falsely asserted Denmark had given the United States Greenland² and that he falsely claimed the US got both Greenland and Venezuela⁴. Others report the claim alongside a reference to an agreement signed by the United States and Denmark^5,6. The reports that mention the agreement do not set out its terms^5,6, so the gap between the president’s description and the documented arrangement cannot yet be measured^2,6.

The resource angle is concrete. Trump has announced massive oil exploration plans in Greenland, and one US oil company says it is planning to drill there in 2027⁷. Trump has tied those plans to his claim that the US now controls the island^5,7, which puts the question of who holds authority over Greenland’s resources at the centre of the dispute³.

The remarks also touch relations with Denmark, whose government Trump says agreed to the transfer³, and with Venezuela, which Trump grouped with Greenland as places the US had secured^4,8.

What to watch

The first thing to watch is the text of the agreement with Denmark that Trump cites^5,6, and whether it supports his description of US ownership³.

The second is any response from Copenhagen to the president’s statement that Denmark agreed to put Greenland under US control³, given that several reports label the claim false^2,4.

For energy investors, the planned drilling in 2027⁷ is the nearest concrete test of what US involvement in Greenland means in practice. Trump has now made the claim at rallies in both Michigan and Georgia^1,2.