Surprise Greenland vote may put a kink in Trump’s takeover dreams

Greenland’s center-right, pro-independence Demokraatit Party won a shocking victory in parliamentary elections Tuesday, reaffirming enthusiasm for home rule as President Trump says he is determined that the U.S. will eventually gain control of the island.

Demokraatit leaders celebrated after their party more than tripled their seats in parliament. According to the results, Demokraatit captured 30% of the vote, up from 9% four years ago.

Analysts said the party favored a slower path to independence than the current government. That stance could put a kink in Mr. Trump’s desire to take control of the vast, strategically located island “one way or the other.” Mr. Trump’s comments attracted unprecedented international attention to a parliamentary vote in a country with just over 56,000 people.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the Demokraatit Party leader, said the election results show Greenlanders want to stay Greenlanders. He said his countrymen must stand together in a time of great interest from outsiders. Although unhappy with many aspects of the long-standing relationship with former colonial power Denmark, Greenland residents overwhelmingly reject a union with Washington.

“We don’t want to be Americans,” Mr. Nielsen said. “No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves, not with his hope.”

Mr. Nielsen was responding to Mr. Trump’s comments regarding Greenland’s independence. Since his inauguration in January, Mr. Trump has discussed seizing control of the island. He mentioned the plan in his first address to a joint session of Congress last week.

“I think we’re going to get it — one way or the other, we’re going to get it,” Mr. Trump said of Greenland. “We will keep you safe. We will make you rich, and together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.”

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, visited the island just before his father’s inauguration and touted the benefits of a union with Washington.

Despite the global media spotlight on the vote, analysts said the election returns did not reflect geopolitics but local issues, including the economy, health care and pensions.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the election results reflected the feelings of Greenlanders and argued that Mr. Trump would have a hard time taking control of the island.

“It’s not the case that you can just take part of the Danish realm,” he told Danish news agency DR. “The future of Greenland is based on what the Greenlandic people and government want.”

Greenland Prime Minister Mute Bourup Egede, who called elections in February, thanked voters for turning out and urged all parties to begin negotiations to form a new government.

Mr. Egede’s party, Inuit Ataqatigiit, secured just over 20% of the vote, a marked decline from the last election when the party received 36%. The aggressively pro-independence party Naleraq came in second place with 25% of the vote, a significant increase from the 12% it secured in 2021.

Demokraatit and Naleraq campaigned heavily on the issue of Greenland’s independence from Denmark and the U.S.

Denmark colonized Greenland more than 300 years ago and controls the island nation’s defense and foreign policy. Independence for Greenland is immensely popular among voters, but they disagree on how fast it should happen.

The Demokraatit Party has advocated for a phased approach to Greenland’s independence, gradually reducing and ultimately eliminating Denmark’s control over the territory. Naleraq favors streamlining the road to independence.

Greenland gained the right to declare independence through a referendum in 2009, but it has held off on voting over concerns that leaving Denmark would immediately lower living standards and the economic support it receives.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen congratulated Demokraatit on its victory, calling the election a “joyful day and a celebration of democracy.” She added that her country would await the results of the upcoming parliamentary negotiations.

Still, the new government will likely have to reckon with intense pressure from the Trump administration. Mr. Trump has argued that U.S. control over Greenland is in his country’s best interest because of the island nation’s strategic position in the North Atlantic and its deposits of rare earth minerals.

The U.S. military already has a sizable presence on the island, but its strategic location has attracted interest from Russia and China as the race for influence and natural resources in the warming Arctic region intensifies.

Coalition talks between the top finishing parties are expected to begin almost immediately. Mr. Nielsen said his top priority was ensuring the process was not divisive.

“Greenland needs us to stand together,” he told the Greenland public broadcasting network KNR. “That will be the starting point for our negotiations. Many big things are happening on a global scale, and it is important that we have one voice and one common vote.”

Correction: Because of an editing error, a previous version of this story’s headline misspelled President Trump’s name.