By Anita Hamilton

The White House is ramping up talk about acquiring Greenland. On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that doing so was a "national security priority" to deter adversaries.

"Utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief's disposal," Leavitt added.

President Donald Trump has been talking about the U.S. acquiring Greenland since his first term, but ramped up comments about it last year. He appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland in December. And last May, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha, visited the territory.

Denmark has rebuffed American threats to annex the territory, which is part of its kingdom. "The United States has no legal basis to annex one of the three countries of the Kingdom of Denmark," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement earlier this week.

More aggressive U.S. policies toward Greenland could change defense spending priorities and "possibly negatively impact U.S. defense export prospects, while bolstering those of other countries," analysts at Capital Alpha Partners wrote Monday.

"We presume that some European states and Canada would move to further cut reliance on U.S. suppliers and possibly cancel some orders," they wrote.

But the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense exchange traded fund rose 1.6% on Tuesday to a new record closing high of $230.21, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The fund is up nearly 59% since Jan. 7, 2025. The Global X Defense Tech exchange traded fund rose 1.7% on Tuesday and is up nearly 90% over 12 months.

On Monday night, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told CNN that Greenland should be part of the U.S., but declined to answer questions about using military force. Leavitt added in a statement to Barron's on Tuesday that the U.S. was discussing a range of options in addition to involving the military.

Greenland is considered strategically well located to detect long-range ballistic missiles. In addition, "its geography allows for satellite ground stations and secure communications infrastructure that are increasingly vital as rivals develop counter-space and cyber capabilities," Atlantic Council fellow Justina Budginaite-Froehly wrote on Monday.

Write to Anita Hamilton at anita.hamilton@barrons.com

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January 06, 2026 17:50 ET (22:50 GMT)

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