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An NBC News investigation, published on 14 January 2026, reports that President Donald Trump’s renewed push to bring Greenland under U.S. control could carry an extraordinary price tag—as much as $700 billion—according to estimates prepared by scholars and former U.S. officials familiar with internal planning. The figure underscores how serious the idea has become in Trump’s second term and highlights the geopolitical shockwaves it is sending through Europe, NATO, and Washington.
The estimate, NBC News reports, was developed as part of planning around Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland as a strategic Arctic buffer against rivals such as Russia and China. At the high end, the cost would exceed half of the Pentagon’s annual budget. A senior White House official told NBC News that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been tasked with crafting a purchase proposal, calling it a “high priority” for the president.
Trump has been blunt about his intentions. Asked whether there was a deal Greenland could offer, he told reporters, “I’d love to make a deal with them… But one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.” His rhetoric has fueled alarm in Denmark and Greenland, particularly given his past willingness to use military force elsewhere.
Greenland and Denmark, however, have repeatedly and unequivocally rejected the idea. Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, said in Washington, “Greenland does not want to be owned by, governed by or part of the United States. We choose the Greenland we know today — as part of the Kingdom of Denmark.” Protests have erupted in Nuuk, where demonstrators carried signs reading, “We are not for sale.”
The pressure is being felt deeply at home. Greenland’s minister for business and mineral resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, said the U.S. posture is causing widespread anxiety: “This is really filling the agenda and the discussions around the households… It’s a massive pressure that we are under.” She added plainly, “We have no intentions of becoming American.”
NBC News notes that the United States already enjoys extensive military access in Greenland under existing agreements, including the Pituffik Space Base, which plays a critical role in missile warning and Arctic surveillance. One U.S. official summed up the situation with a pointed analogy: “Why invade the cow when they’ll sell you the milk at relatively good prices?”
As alternatives to outright purchase, U.S. officials are weighing looser arrangements, including a compact of free association, similar to agreements the U.S. maintains with Pacific island nations. Such a deal could expand America’s security presence at far less cost than the estimated $500–$700 billion purchase price.
Trump’s fixation on ownership reflects his belief that controlling Greenland outright—rather than leasing access—would secure long-term U.S. dominance in the Arctic. But experts warn the risks are enormous. Ian Lesser of the German Marshall Fund told NBC News that using force would be catastrophic: “It would stir up unbelievable tensions within the NATO alliance and maybe even spell the end of the NATO alliance.”
Congressional resistance is already forming. A bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to block the Defense Department from using funds to seize territory from a NATO ally without consent. Meanwhile, Greenlanders remain overwhelmingly opposed; polls show about 85% reject becoming part of the U.S.
As NBC News concludes, there is a growing sense that Trump may gain some ground in Greenland—but how he does so, and at what cost to alliances and international norms, remains the central and unresolved question.
