Trump says US "control" of Greenland is a necessity for national security

President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday night that controlling Greenland by the United States "is an absolute necessity" in terms of national security.

In a statement announcing Ken Howery as his nominee for ambassador to Denmark, Trump said that the world's largest island must be controlled by the United States and that he expects the potential ambassador to do a great job defending the country's interests.

Although Greenland has gained increasing autonomy to manage its natural resources, Denmark still controls several aspects of the island, including defense, foreign policy and its monetary policy.

"For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," Trump said in the Truth Social post.

Múte Egede, Greenland's prime minister, responded to the president-elect by saying the island is not for sale.

"Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom," Múte Egede said in a statement picked up by several international media outlets.

This is a controversial statement that already has precedent on Trump's part.

In 2019, the then-Republican president provoked outrage from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen by suggesting that it would be "strategically interesting" for the United States to control Greenland.

"Denmark essentially owns it. We’re very good allies with Denmark. We protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world," Trump said at the time. "Strategically, it’s interesting, and we’d be interested, but we’ll talk to them a little bit. It’s not number one on the burner."

Trump's words prompted a harsh response from Frederiksen, who called the suggestion nonsense.

"Greenland is not Danish. Greenland is Greenlandic. I persistently hope that this is not something that is seriously meant," Frederiksen said.

Trump's words on Greenland come after the president-elect also threatened to take back the Panama Canal, also provoking a response from Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino.

According to Trump, Panama has treated the United States very badly in commercial terms after former Democratic President Jimmy Carter ceded the canal to the Central American country in a diplomatic agreement that has been highly controversial and questioned for several decades.