By Shahrokh Saei
TEHRAN – President Donald Trump’s imperial ambitions show no sign of slowing, fueled by hubris and the momentum of America’s deadly military strikes in Venezuela — a campaign that culminated in the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro. Trump has now declared that Venezuela “will be turning over” up to 50 million barrels of oil — valued at roughly $2.8 billion — to the United States.
With Venezuela seemingly under his control, Greenland has emerged as Trump’s next potential conquest, quickly nicknamed “Trumpland” by media commentators. The moniker, first coined in satire after Trump floated the idea in 2019, reflects more than a quirky headline: it captures a political style defined by spectacle, branding, and provocation — where countries are treated less as sovereign nations and more as objects to be claimed, renamed, and marketed.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday that “President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States.” She added, “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”
Leavitt’s comments came as European leaders pushed back. France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom, together with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, issued a joint statement affirming Greenland’s sovereignty and urging the US to respect the Danish semi-autonomous territory. Frederiksen, herself, had earlier warned that any attack on a NATO ally would spell “the end” of the military alliance and post-World War II security — “the end of everything.”
Greenland’s importance
Greenland’s significance is not merely symbolic. Its strategic value stretches across military, economic, and geopolitical dimensions:
1. Military and geostrategic location
Greenland sits at a critical juncture in the North Atlantic, acting as a bridge between North America and Europe. During World War II, the “Greenland Air Gap” — an oceanic corridor beyond land-based aircraft range — became a dangerous hunting ground for Nazi U-boats attacking Allied shipping. Today, Greenland remains essential for controlling Atlantic Sea lanes, early-warning missile detection, and air and naval operations. Whoever commands Greenland in a major conflict wields decisive influence over North Atlantic defense.
2. Arctic access and shipping routes
As climate change melts Greenland’s ice, previously impassable Arctic waters are opening new shipping lanes. These routes could significantly reduce travel times between Europe, North America, and Asia, while granting control over resource-rich areas and emerging strategic corridors. Global powers like China and Russia are already eyeing the Arctic for economic and military reasons — and Trump seems intent on asserting US dominance in the region before they do.
3. Natural resources
Greenland sits atop vast, largely untapped reserves of oil and gas, minerals, and rare-earth elements — the building blocks of modern technologies and advanced weaponry. Its thawing tundra makes mining increasingly feasible. While Denmark and Greenland have expressed openness to partnerships, Trump’s rhetoric suggests he seeks full control, reflecting a desire not just for strategic influence but for resource extraction and economic gain.
4. Existing US military infrastructure
Greenland already hosts a US base, including key facilities for missile detection and early-warning systems. Existing treaties with Denmark allow extensive use of these bases for operations, garrisons, and logistics. From a practical standpoint, reinforcing Greenland militarily would not require conquering it — but Trump’s approach is framed in terms of ownership rather than collaboration.
Trump’s obsession with Greenland mirrors his approach in Venezuela: turning rhetorical posturing into potential action. Top aides like Stephen Miller have publicly questioned Denmark’s claim to the territory, while social media displays, such as Miller’s wife Katie posting a US-flag-covered map of Greenland captioned “SOON,” hint at a mindset in which sovereignty is secondary to spectacle.
Trumpland Europe
The “Trumpland” metaphor extends beyond Greenland. If Greenland becomes Trumpland, Europe is reimagined in Trumpian terms: Britain becomes the United Trumpdom, Germany turns into Donrmany, France into Trance, Italy into Trumpaly, Spain into Trumppain, and Poland into Trumpoland. Denmark, defending Greenland, becomes Trumpmark — the guardian of Trumpland. In this playful but telling vision, the European Union becomes the Trumpunion. These invented names capture Trump’s habit of framing diplomacy in terms of ownership, branding, and deal-making, rather than international cooperation.
What once seemed like absurd presidential bluster is now taken seriously in Europe. The continent’s deep reliance on Washington for its defense has left even close allies like Denmark with little real power to resist, highlighting a stark consequence: Europe’s dependence has turned US ambitions — however improbable or audacious — into a matter of urgent concern.
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