President Donald Trump has now made it abundantly clear that his desire for the U.S. to acquire Greenland is not simply a passing flight of fancy. American economic and security interests in Greenland are deeply rooted in U.S. history and strategy, going back to the 19th century, and journalists, commentators, foreign diplomats and denizens of the “deep state” do themselves a disservice by failing to recognize the president’s seriousness of purpose.

The time has come to stop debating Trump’s intentions and instead focus on how to implement the first major expansion of American territory since the McKinley administration, when Hawaii was annexed.

The Trump administration can begin by keeping one important fact in mind: For all the focus thus far on the reaction in Denmark to Trump’s comments, the Greenlanders themselves have made clear their desire for independence from Copenhagen. Not only has Greenland gradually attained autonomy from Denmark over the last several decades, but Greenlanders explicitly stated their desire for independence in coming decades in the nation’s 2024 defense policy documents.

Importantly, Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede recently made clear that his people do not wish to be Danish and seek independence ultimately. So Trump will be dealing with a Greenlandic populace and leadership on the path to eventual sovereignty, not a recalcitrant........

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