Trump laughed at as he trumpets 'permanent control' of Greenland

President Donald Trump's announcement that the United States has secured permanent control over security in Greenland drew immediate eye-rolls Friday, with commentators questioning both the substance of the deal and whether Denmark and Greenland had agreed to anything at all.

Shashank Joshi, defence editor at The Economist, read the announcement as considerably less than Trump described.

"Wait for details but sounds like a compromise & essentially a climb down," he wrote, noting that Trump's post mentions no U.S. sovereignty over Greenland. Joshi said the substance appeared to be commitments limiting Chinese and Russian involvement alongside an expanded American military presence, adding that if Trump wanted to characterize that as "permanent control over security," fine.

Others focused on what the United States already has on the island.

"We have a military presence in Greenland, Pituffik Space Base," wrote conspiracy researcher Mike Rothschild, noting it was built in 1953 as Thule Air Base. "We also have an agreement with Denmark for the mutual defense of Greenland - it's the NATO Charter."

He closed with the question hanging over the announcement.

"Also, is there any evidence this 'agreement' exists?"

Pituffik is operated by the Space Force and supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions. A 1951 agreement already gives the American military broad access to Greenland.

The popular White House insider account Angry Staffer made a similar argument, predicting it would be "wild when people figure out this is the same agreement we've had with Greenland forever."

Writer Mary Pezzulo was skeptical there was any agreement to characterize.

"I give it five minutes before Denmark announces 'we have no knowledge of this,'" she wrote.

Neither the Danish government nor Greenland's had confirmed the agreement or released any text as of Friday evening. The two sides have repeatedly described their talks with Washington in terms at odds with the White House's account.

In January, after Trump said he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had agreed on a framework granting the United States "total access" to Greenland, Denmark and Greenland responded by calling the island's sovereignty non-negotiable.

We have a military presence in Greenland, Pituffik Space Base. It used to be Thule Air Base, it was built in 1953. We also have an agreement with Denmark for the mutual defense of Greenland - it's the NATO Charter. Also, is there any evidence this "agreement" exists? https://t.co/1kPtz9dtrt
— Mike (not a) Rothschild (@rothschildmd) September 18, 2026