Trump envoy says US should restore its 'footprint' in Greenland

By Nathan Rennolds Published on 21/05/2026 - 10:20 GMT+2 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp

The US is reported to have had 17 military facilities and more than 10,000 troops on Greenland at the height of the Cold War.

US President Donald Trump's special envoy to Greenland has said he believes it's time the United States "puts its footprint back" on the territory.

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Jeff Landry, who is also the governor of Louisiana, made the comments during a trip to the Arctic island this week, his first since his appointment to the special envoy role in December 2025.

Greenland has made frequent headlines since Trump's return to the White House, with the president repeatedly arguing that Washington needs to acquire the Danish territory to boost national defence and to prevent it from falling into the hands of Beijing or Moscow.

"If we don't do it, China or Russia will," Trump has said of his efforts to acquire Greenland, adding that he did not want them as a "neighbour" in the region.

Speaking from Greenland's capital Nuuk, Landry told Agence France-Presse: "I think that you're seeing the president talk about increasing national security operations and repopulating certain bases in Greenland."

"Everyone that I've talked to in Greenland would love to see the US repopulate those bases," he continued, adding that the territory "needs the US."

The US is reported to have had 17 military facilities and more than 10,000 troops on Greenland at the height of the Cold War. It currently operates just one base on the island, the Pituffik Space Base, the US Department of Defense's northernmost installation.

According to the US Space Force, Pituffik is used for missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions.

It's not the first time Landry's comments have raised eyebrows.

Speaking after his appointment in December, the Republican governor said his goal was to make the island a part of the US, sparking backlash from Greenlanders as well as Danish politicians.

Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen reportedly told Danish TV at the time that he was “deeply upset” by the special envoy role and that he was "particularly upset" by Landry's "unacceptable" statements.

In January, the leaders of five political parties in Greenland’s parliament released a joint statement with a clear message to the US.

"We do not want to be Americans, we do not want to be Danes; we want to be Greenlanders," it read.

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Trump envoy says US should restore its 'footprint' in Greenland

• Donald Trump
• Arctic
• Greenland