Most Americans Reject Trump’s Push to Bring Greenland Under U.S. Control, New National Poll Finds
Even though former President Donald Trump loudly thinks Greenland would someday belong to Washington, a new national survey finds that a majority of Americans oppose his repeated attempt to seize it.
On Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House that “Greenland is gonna want us” and confirmed negotiations. He stated that Greenland talks are underway and that the US and Europe have good connections.
For months, Trump has focused on Greenland, a vast semi-autonomous territory in Denmark protected by NATO. His administration claims that acquiring Greenland would boost American Arctic security, especially as global competition increases.
However, US public opinion appears to change.
A countrywide poll by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 72% of Americans disagree of Trump’s Greenland policy. Though skepticism across party lines, the study shows substantial political divides.
Trump’s approach is unpopular with 91% of Democrats. 79% of independents disapprove. Even inside Trump’s party, 48% of Republicans oppose his handling of the crisis.
Generational split in Republican Party is prominent. Six in 10 Republicans under 45 disapprove of Trump’s Greenland leadership. Four in ten older Republicans agree, suggesting younger conservatives are less eager for territorial expansion or strong foreign policy.
Trump has presented Greenland as a national security and global competition problem. Rare earth minerals, needed for batteries, electric vehicles, and high-tech items, are abundant in Greenland. China controls worldwide markets for these commodities, making them strategically significant in geopolitics.
In January, Trump warned that Russia and China might gain influence in Greenland if the US does nothing. He had considered using force to acquire the island. He denied using force during the January World Economic Forum.
Some Trump fans are likewise concerned. A Texas resident who supports the former president, Ayman Amir, told The Associated Press that capturing Greenland by force would be illegal and hypocritical. He claimed that the US cannot criticize Russia’s actions in Ukraine while using identical techniques abroad.
Not just Americans oppose the notion. Greenlanders have also resisted. A recent Danish news outlet survey The Copenhagen Post reported that 76% of Greenlanders oppose US membership. Only 8% thought joining the U.S. would be good.
The AP-NORC survey ran February 5–8, 2026. The researchers surveyed 1,156 US people online and by phone, including landlines and cell phones. The poll was supposed to be representative of the U.S. population and has a 3.9 percent margin of sampling error.
The statistics imply that most Americans are unconvinced by Trump’s strategic promotion of Greenland. The issue has expanded to test public support for strong U.S.-allied foreign policy.
The Greenland dispute raises problems regarding national security, international law, and America’s global position. At present, public opinion research suggests that most Americans oppose a significant Arctic expansion.
Sources
The Associated Press
NORC Center for Public Affairs Research
The Copenhagen Post
