Updated January 8, 2026 at 2:05 PM EST
The radio version of this story aired on Feb. 21, 2025.
President Trump's calls in 2025 for the U.S. to acquire the territory of Greenland through military use or economic coercion shocked many around the world.
All Things Considered visited the island in February 2025 to report about how the territory's residents were responding to Trump's desire to make Greenland a part of the U.S.
Two Greenlanders with vastly different takes on the issue spoke to the show. One was Jorgen Boassen, a bricklayer who wore a shirt of the now-famous image of Trump with his fist raised after an assassination attempt during the 2024 presidential campaign. Boassen told NPR he felt Trump's interest in Greenland was an opportunity.
The other Greenlander was Aqqaluk Lynge, who served in Greenland's parliament in the early 1980s and spent years fighting for its right to self-determination and founded one of Greenland's leading political parties. Lynge voiced concerns that U.S. military action could lead to a confrontation between the U.S. and its own NATO allies.
NPR is revisiting these conversations after Trump again reiterated a call for the U.S. to acquire Greenland and the White House hinted at the possible use of military force to do so.
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