Social media has beaten US President Donald Trump to Greenland. While diplomats prepare briefing notes and Nato clears its throat, meme makers have already annexed the icy island and moved on to the next joke.
Trump’s long running fascination with Greenland has resurfaced this week, transforming a once dismissed idea into a live geopolitical flashpoint.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has told American lawmakers that he will meet the Danish government next week to discuss Greenland. “I’ll be meeting with them next week,” he said, adding that conversations with Denmark were imminent.
Rubio also sought to reassure Congress that the plan does not involve soldiers in parkas storming an Arctic coastline. President Trump, he said, intends to pursue the purchase of Greenland rather than using military force, even as tensions ripple through Nato.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the acquisition of Greenland was being actively discussed by Trump and his national security team. She stressed that diplomacy remains the President’s primary approach, even while noting that all options are on the table.
Denmark and Greenland responded with the diplomatic equivalent of a flat stare, reiterating that the island is not for sale.
Greenland is a linchpin in the US ballistic missile defence architecture. Washington continues to operate the Pittufik Space Base, formerly known as Thule, which provides early warning capabilities for missiles travelling across the North Pole.
Full control, in theory, would secure these assets against espionage or sabotage.
There is also the small matter of what lies beneath the ice. Climate change is making Greenland’s vast deposits of critical minerals more accessible, and Trump wants them locked down to reduce reliance on China, which dominates the global supply chain.
But in the race for Greenland, meme makers on social media have captured the territory without firing a shot.
