Special Poll
President Donald Trump is continuing to push for the United States to take control of Greenland, despite the fact that the idea is proving deeply unpopular both among Americans and Greenlanders.
The Trump administration argues that acquiring Greenland is a matter of international security, particularly as global powers like Russia and China increase their presence in the Arctic. Vice President JD Vance traveled to the Danish autonomous territory on Friday as part of a U.S. delegation to reinforce the administration’s stance. Speaking at a U.S. Space Force base in Greenland, Vance said, “We know that Russia and China and other nations are taking an extraordinary interest in Arctic passageways, Arctic naval routes, and in the minerals of the Arctic territories.” Leaders in both Greenland and Denmark have rejected the idea outright.
Greenland controls its domestic affairs, but Denmark retains authority over foreign policy and defense matters. The political climate in Greenland is shifting, with five of the six major parties supporting full independence from Denmark. However, there is no consensus on how to achieve that goal, and certainly not through annexation by the United States.
Trump first introduced the idea of acquiring Greenland during his first term in 2019. It was widely dismissed at the time and faded from public discussion. But following his re-election in 2024, Trump has revived the proposal with renewed determination, much to the concern of Denmark and other U.S. allies in Europe.
Recent polling suggests that Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to the plan. A Fox News poll conducted from March 14 to 17 found that 70 percent of registered voters oppose Trump’s push to take over Greenland, while only 26 percent support it. Of all the ideas surveyed in that poll, the Greenland proposal was the least popular even more disliked than renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America (67 percent opposed) or eliminating the Department of Education (65 percent opposed). The poll surveyed 994 registered voters and had a margin of error of ±3 percentage points.
Another survey by Yahoo News/YouGov echoed those findings. That poll showed only 19 percent of Americans favoring the plan, with 49 percent opposed and 32 percent undecided a 30-point gap. The survey included 1,677 U.S. adults with a margin of error of ±2.7 percentage points.
Opposition to the idea is even stronger among the people of Greenland. A poll conducted between January 22 and 26 by Verian for Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaqt found that 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose joining the United States, while only 6 percent support the idea and 9 percent are undecided. The survey of 497 Greenlanders also revealed that nearly half 45 percent view Trump’s interest in their territory as a threat. When asked whether they would prefer a U.S. or Danish passport, just 8 percent said they would choose an American one.
Despite the lack of support both at home and abroad, Trump is pushing forward, raising concerns among allies and experts about the diplomatic fallout and the administration’s growing focus on controversial territorial ambitions. As polling continues to show the idea is overwhelmingly unpopular, many are questioning why the president remains fixated on a plan that has little public backing and potentially serious international consequences.