Economic activity in Greenland has slowed since the start of US President Donald Trump's second term and his comments about the island, according to Dan Sivertsen, secretary general of the Greenland Business Association.
“Business needs stability and in the current geopolitical environment we are seeing a growing reluctance to invest in tourism and construction,“ he said in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo. “Since Donald Trump arrived in the White House for the second time and started talking about taking over Greenland, economic activity has slowed“.
The US leader has repeatedly stated the need for Greenland to join the US. During his first term, he proposed purchasing Greenland, and in March 2025 expressed confidence that it could be annexed. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller had previously questioned Denmark's right to control the island and said it should become part of the United States.
Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, in addition to their NATO obligations, signed the Greenland Defense Treaty. Under it, the United States pledged to defend the island from possible aggression.