Trump Proposes Financial Incentives to Greenland Residents for U.S. Membership
Sources revealed on Thursday, January 8, 2026, that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is contemplating an unprecedented strategy to encourage the residents of Greenland to separate from Denmark and potentially join the United States, by offering direct cash payments to individuals on the island.
According to the sources, who requested anonymity, discussions within the U.S. administration, including at the White House, have considered amounts ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person, though final details regarding the amounts and payment mechanisms have yet to be determined.
This proposal is viewed by observers as a practical attempt to navigate the political hurdles that previously hindered the U.S. proposal to "buy Greenland,” an Arctic island with approximately 57,000 residents, at a time when officials in Copenhagen and Greenland assert that the island is not for sale.
The U.S. actions have elicited strong reactions from Europe. The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, stated that the EU is discussing how to respond if it is determined that the U.S. threat to acquire Greenland is serious and credible.
She added during a press conference in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atti that, "the messages we are hearing about Greenland are very concerning."
President Donald Trump reiterated that the United States needs Greenland for national security reasons and due to its strategic location in the Arctic, a region that is increasingly gaining military and economic significance amid rising international competition.
Greenland enjoys a high degree of self-governance but is officially a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, which is a member of NATO and the European Union.
In this context, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen previously warned that any hostile U.S. actions toward Greenland could lead to the collapse of NATO and the global security framework established after World War II.
Amid offers of money and concerns over sovereignty, Greenland remains at the center of a growing geopolitical conflict, titled:
Who Controls the Keys to the Arctic?
