More than 8 in 10 Americans are opposed to the U.S. taking over Greenland by military force as President Trump ramps up pressure on the semiautonomous Danish territory, according to a new survey.
The Quinnipiac University poll, released Wednesday, found that 86 percent of respondents are against the U.S. using military force to acquire the Arctic island, which is part of NATO. Just 9 percent are in favor of such a move.
Meanwhile, 55 percent of respondents oppose the U.S. attempting to purchase Greenland, with 37 percent in support, according to the survey.
Trump has expressed interest in acquiring the mineral-rich island throughout his second term, a push he has ramped up in recent weeks. Earlier Wednesday, the president wrote on Truth Social that “anything less” than U.S. control of Greenland would be “unacceptable.”
“NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” the president said.
Danish officials, as well as other European leaders, have rebuffed the Trump administration’s push to take over the territory. The Danish Defense Ministry announced Wednesday it is boosting its presence of aircraft, naval vessels and soldiers in and around Greenland, with assistance from NATO allies.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also said Tuesday his people would choose being part of Denmark over the U.S. if given the option.
Trump fired back, telling reporters, “That’s their problem. I disagree with them. I don’t know who he is. Don’t know anything about him, but that’s going to be a big problem for him.”
Earlier Wednesday, Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Greenlandic and Danish foreign ministers Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Vivian Motzfeldt.
The Quinnipiac poll was conducted via phone interviews with 1,133 registered voters from Jan. 8 to 12. It has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.