An American in Greenland

Ken Harbaugh reports from Nuuk, Greenland, for The MeidasTouch Network and the Save America Movement

On almost all of my reporting trips, I attach a small American flag to my backpack. I do it because wherever I am, I remain, first and foremost, an American. And a veteran. For most of my life, I have been deeply proud of both.

This time, I left the flag at home.

Not because I was headed to Afghanistan, or North Korea, or somewhere openly hostile to the United States. I left it because I was flying to Greenland—a territory of Denmark, for decades one of America’s most steadfast allies. Greenland hosts critical U.S. military installations, and Danish soldiers fought and died alongside Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are not distant or transactional relationships; they are among the closest partnerships the United States has.

And yet, something has changed—almost overnight.

Landing in Nuuk, Greenland, at sunrise.

Not because of any seismic shift in geopolitics, but because of the conduct of the President of the United States. His public threats, bullying posture, and insistence that America should “own” Greenland have eroded generations of trust. Greenlanders once shared America’s concerns about the Arctic: a warming climate opening new sea lanes, intensifying great-power competition, and the growing presence of China and Russia. Until recently, many preferred that the United States—rather than Beijing or Moscow—remain the region’s principal security partner.

That preference depended on trust. Now, that trust has been squandered.

What makes this moment especially dispiriting is how unnecessary it is. The United States already enjoys extensive access and influence in Greenland, and has for decades. Under a 1951 treaty, the U.S. maintains a permanent military presence at Pituffik Space Base, with broad authority to operate, build, and position forces. American ships and aircraft move freely in support of mutual defense. These arrangements are reinforced by NATO commitments and a long history of cooperation, supporting early warning systems, space operations, and Arctic defense.

This trust-based relationship has worked. It has protected American interests while respecting Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty. There is no strategic vacuum in the Arctic that coercion can fill, and no military problem that acquiring Greenland would solve. Even the administration’s own documents reflect this reality. Greenland does not appear in the most recent National Security Strategy, published in November 2025. If Greenland were truly central to American security, its absence would be difficult to explain. Instead, it is revealing.

The push to “acquire” Greenland is not about security. It is about Donald Trump—his ego, his fixation on dominance, and his appetite for spectacle. He all but acknowledged this when he described ownership of Greenland as “psychologically important” to him. It was meant as bravado. It landed as something else.

How Greenlanders feel about Trump…

This is not who Americans imagine themselves to be. We do not admire bullies. We have fought wars—sometimes alongside Danes—to oppose them. It often takes us too long to recognize bullying, especially when it is wrapped in patriotism or presented as strength. But as Winston Churchill observed, “Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing…after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” Recognition of the right thing is beginning to spread. Millions of Americans now understand the danger Trump poses, not only at home but to the partnerships that underpin global stability.

There is still time to change course. Congress possesses both the authority and the obligation to restrain an erratic executive. So far, it has largely failed to do so. Even so, public resistance is growing, shaped by a lesson history teaches repeatedly and unforgivingly: appeasement does not work. You cannot meet a fascist halfway.

Sunset in Nuuk, Greenland.

So the message to our friends in Greenland, in Denmark, and across the democratic world is simple: hold firm. Do not yield to intimidation. Coercion is not strength, and bluster is not leadership. For my part, I hope the day comes soon when I can wear that American flag on my backpack again—without wondering whether it marks me as an ally, or as a threat.

For continued, on-the-ground reporting from Greenland by The Ken Harbaugh Show and the Save America Movement, follow the MeidasTouch Network. And watch for the launch of Meidas Defense—our newest division focused on rigorous coverage of global affairs, emerging threats, and the real-world consequences of national security policy.