By — Liz Landers Liz Landers By — Dan Cooney Dan Cooney Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-wont-say-what-he-is-willing-to-do-to-take-control-of-greenland Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter WATCH: Trump won't say what he is 'willing to do' to take control of Greenland Politics Jan 14, 2026 6:57 PM EST President Donald Trump told PBS News White House correspondent Liz Landers on Wednesday that he won't say what he is "willing to do" to take control of Greenland, including leaving the NATO alliance. Watch Trump's remarks in the video player above. "I'm not going to give up options, but it's very important. Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark," Trump said during an event in the Oval Office. "The problem is there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there's everything we can do." READ MORE: Danish official says there's a 'fundamental disagreement' with Trump over Greenland The president's comments came after the foreign ministers of Denmark, a NATO country, and Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory, met earlier in the day with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. After the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters that the U.S. and Denmark "still have a fundamental disagreement," but they will form a working group "to explore if we can find a common way forward." WATCH: How Denmark views Trump's threats to take over Greenland Trump, meanwhile, said that he "can't rely on Denmark being able to fend" off global threats. "I have a very good relationship with Denmark, and we'll see how it all works out," he said. "I think something will work out." A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Liz Landers Liz Landers Liz Landers is a correspondent for PBS News Hour, where she covers the White House and the Trump administration. Prior to joining the News Hour, she served as the national security correspondent for Scripps News, and also reported on disinformation for the network. By — Dan Cooney Dan Cooney Dan Cooney is the PBS NewsHour's Social Media Producer/Coordinator. @IAmDanCooney
President Donald Trump told PBS News White House correspondent Liz Landers on Wednesday that he won't say what he is "willing to do" to take control of Greenland, including leaving the NATO alliance. Watch Trump's remarks in the video player above. "I'm not going to give up options, but it's very important. Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark," Trump said during an event in the Oval Office. "The problem is there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there's everything we can do." READ MORE: Danish official says there's a 'fundamental disagreement' with Trump over Greenland The president's comments came after the foreign ministers of Denmark, a NATO country, and Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory, met earlier in the day with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. After the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters that the U.S. and Denmark "still have a fundamental disagreement," but they will form a working group "to explore if we can find a common way forward." WATCH: How Denmark views Trump's threats to take over Greenland Trump, meanwhile, said that he "can't rely on Denmark being able to fend" off global threats. "I have a very good relationship with Denmark, and we'll see how it all works out," he said. "I think something will work out." A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now