3:04A demonstrator displays a placard stating ‘We are not for sale’ outside the US consulate during a rally, under the banner ‘Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people’, in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 15, 2025.Christian Klindt Soelbeck/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
Recent surveys have revealed that American voters largely oppose the idea of the U.S. acquiring Greenland — with even stronger resistance to doing so by military means.
A poll from Quinnipiac University indicated that 55% of voters are against the United States attempting to purchase Greenland, with a significant majority of Democratic voters (85%) and independent voters (58%) opposing it, while a majority of Republican voters (67%) are in favor. However, Greenland is not for sale — Danish and Greenlandic officials have stated that the island cannot be bought. Greenland operates as a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Opposition swells to nearly 90% of voters when asked if the U.S. should consider taking Greenland by military force, a notion that President Donald Trump has remarked “is always an option.” Merely 9% of U.S. voters express support for the idea of the U.S. attempting to seize Greenland through military action.
A demonstrator displays a placard stating ‘We are not for sale’ outside the US consulate during a rally, under the banner ‘Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people’, in Nuuk, Greenland, on March 15, 2025.Christian Klindt Soelbeck/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
In total, 86% of voters, including 95% of Democrats, 94% of independents, and 68% of Republicans, oppose the U.S. attempting to take Greenland by military force.
It is noteworthy that few polls show this level of consensus on policy matters — and most Republicans seldom dissent from Trump.
President Donald Trump responds to inquiries from reporters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, January 14, 2026.Francis Chung/EPA/Shutterstock
The president is pursuing the acquisition of the autonomous Danish territory, asserting earlier this week that “we need Greenland” and citing national security as justification for the acquisition. In response, France and other NATO nations have deployed troops for military drills after officials from Denmark and Greenland expressed “fundamental disagreements” with the U.S.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll also revealed low levels of backing for Trump’s initiative to acquire Greenland. Only 17% of Americans indicated they approved of U.S. efforts to take Greenland, including a minority of 40% among Republicans. Support was even less prevalent among Democrats (2%) and others (9%).
When participants were asked about the possibility of taking Greenland through military means in the Reuters/Ipsos poll, just 4% of Americans considered it a good idea, including only 8% of Republicans.
Demonstrators hold a banner declaring “Yankee Go Home” during a march to the US consulate in a demonstration, under the slogan ‘Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people’, in Nuuk, Greenland, March 15, 2025.Christian Klindt Soelbeck/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
The Reuters/Ipsos survey provided a “don’t know” option for respondents, and many Americans indicated they did not have strong opinions on these topics.
Two-thirds of Americans express concern that the U.S. acquiring the self-governing territory that is part of Denmark could negatively impact NATO and U.S. relations with European nations. This includes approximately 90% of Democrats, 40% of Republicans, and 70% of independents.
The Quinnipiac poll was carried out from January 8-12 among
Sourse: abcnews.go.com