Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands says President Donald Trump will bring Greenland under U.S. control before the end of his second term, predicting the massive Arctic territory will become “America’s next Puerto Rico.”
Sands, who served as ambassador during Trump’s first term, said the president has already shifted the global paradigm surrounding Greenland and forced allies to confront what was once considered unthinkable.
“It will be under the United States control,” Sands said, arguing Greenland could become a U.S. territory with “rights and representation” while falling under American security protection.
Trump reignited global controversy this week after announcing a preliminary framework deal for U.S. access to Greenland during the World Economic Forum in Davos, temporarily pausing tariff threats against Denmark and NATO allies.
The president framed the move as a national security necessity.
“We’re gonna have all the military access that we want,” Trump said. “We’re talking about national security and international security.”
Greenland’s strategic value has skyrocketed as melting ice opens new Arctic shipping lanes and exposes vast reserves of rare earth minerals. U.S. officials see the island as critical to countering Russian and Chinese expansion in the region.
Sands said Trump’s blunt rhetoric was intentional.
“Suddenly, anything is possible, because the paradigm has shifted,” she said. “What is impossible becomes possible.”
She argued that U.S. involvement would dramatically improve life on the island.
“The United States will be helping them develop,” Sands said. “They want infrastructure. They want prosperity. Less like a welfare state.”
Greenland already hosts a key U.S. military base, and Trump has repeatedly described the island as essential to NATO security.
Denmark, however, continues to resist any move toward full American control, according to the Daily Mail.
Sands accused the Danish government of waging a psychological campaign to scare Greenlanders away from independence and closer ties with Washington.
“The people in Greenland are now terrified of the United States,” she said. “We are the boogeyman because of what Denmark has done.”
She claimed polling on the issue is deeply flawed, noting that many surveys are conducted by Danish institutions with political incentives to preserve control over the territory.
Despite Trump’s confidence, public support in the U.S. remains mixed.
A recent Reuters poll found only 17 percent of Americans support acquiring Greenland, while 47 percent oppose it. Thirty-six percent said they were unsure.
Sands dismissed the skepticism, arguing that Trump is willing to apply pressure where previous leaders refused.
“President Trump will use the tools that he needs and the pressure that he needs,” she said.
She pointed to Denmark’s alleged failure to strengthen Greenland’s defenses as a breaking point.
“Denmark is like a parent that’s abusing their child,” Sands said. “Greenland doesn’t know what to do.”
Trump’s renewed push has rattled European leaders and sparked fears of long-term damage to NATO unity. Earlier this month, the president refused to rule out military action before later walking back those remarks.
Sands said military force is unlikely, but economic leverage is not.
“Trade is friendly coercion,” she said. “And it’s brilliant.”
As Arctic tensions escalate and Trump continues to put pressure, Sands believes one outcome is inevitable.
“Greenland will not remain the same,” she said.
