WASHINGTON — A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Americans largely oppose President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland, with just 17% approving of the effort and nearly half disapproving, Jan. 15, 2026.
Trump has argued Greenland’s location and resources make it vital to U.S. security, but the survey suggests the message is not breaking through at home — and that voters are wary of turning an Arctic dispute into a confrontation with close allies. In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, 47% disapproved of U.S. efforts to acquire Greenland, while 35% said they were unsure. The poll was conducted Jan. 12-13 among 1,217 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
Greenland poll: what Americans said
Opposition sharpened when respondents were asked about force. A large majority said using the military to take possession of Greenland would be a bad idea, according to Ipsos’ breakdown of the findings. Two-thirds also said they were concerned the effort could damage NATO and U.S. relationships with European allies.
The poll points to political risk for Trump beyond the diplomatic blowback. While Republicans were more likely than Democrats to back the acquisition effort, the public overall was split or uncertain on whether Greenland is strategically important to the United States — a sign that arguments about Arctic security, minerals and shipping lanes remain abstract for many voters.
Greenland, NATO and Denmark: pressure inside an alliance
The polling arrived as Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk try to manage a fast-rising dispute. After a White House meeting involving Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Denmark and Greenland said the sides would create a working group to discuss broader security and cooperation issues, but officials also acknowledged core differences remain, according to Reuters’ account of the talks.
Trump has leaned heavily on a security rationale. “Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark,” he told reporters this week. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, speaking afterward, said, “We didn’t manage to change the American position.”
Denmark, backed by European partners, has moved to underscore that Arctic defense can be strengthened without any change in sovereignty. In a statement announcing expanded activity, the Danish Ministry of Defence said the country will continue and expand exercises in and around Greenland in close cooperation with NATO allies, including activities that could involve protecting critical infrastructure and receiving allied troops.
A recurring Greenland debate, from 2019 to now
The clash is also the latest chapter in a long-running saga. When Trump floated the idea of buying Greenland during his first term, Denmark’s government rejected it and the episode spiraled into a diplomatic incident that ended with Trump canceling a planned trip to Copenhagen, according to a 2019 Reuters report.
Even as political leaders dismissed any sale, Washington’s Arctic posture deepened in other ways. The United States reopened its consulate in Nuuk in 2020, a move the State Department framed as a signal of long-term engagement and commitment to the region, according to the department’s announcement at the time.
For now, the latest Greenland poll suggests a simple constraint on Trump’s renewed push: Americans may support a tougher Arctic security posture, but they do not want a takeover — and they are signaling little appetite for a move that could fracture alliances at a moment of heightened tension in the North Atlantic.
