Why would President Trump want to Annex Greenland? Is it for the weather or critical minerals?

Ok, there is a lot of speculation today from X around Donald Trump Jr.’s trip to Greenland. I watched the call with President Trump calling into a town hall-style gathering, and it was very clear from the crowd that they would like to be a part of the United States. I embedded the video in the article, and it is fun to listen to the conversation.

From Grok on X, here is a summary of the minerals at play.

• Rare Earth Elements (REEs): Greenland hosts some of the world’s largest deposits of rare earth elements, including yttrium, scandium, neodymium, and dysprosium. These elements are crucial for electronics, magnets in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and various green technologies. The Kvanefjeld deposit in southern Greenland is particularly notable, potentially one of the largest multi-element deposits globally, which includes significant amounts of rare earth oxides alongside uranium.
• Other Minerals:

  • Lithium, Graphite, Niobium, Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), Tantalum, Titanium, and Vanadium: Greenland has potential for these minerals, which are critical for battery technology, electronics, and aerospace industries. Many of these resources are still in the exploration phase but show substantial promise.

  • Cobalt, Hafnium, and Zirconium: These are also part of Greenland’s mineral portfolio, with high potential even though they have not been extensively explored yet.

• Uranium: Greenland has one of the world’s largest uranium deposits at Kvanefjeld, although political and environmental concerns have led to a ban on uranium mining since 2021, impacting the development of some rare earth projects due to the co-occurrence with uranium.

• Iron Ore, Zinc, Lead, Gold, and Diamonds: Historically, Greenland has been involved in mining these minerals, with varying degrees of success. Greenland’s geological diversity due to its vast and ancient rock formations suggests a high potential for these and other metals.

• Anorthosite: Used in the production of rock wool insulation, Greenland has operational mines for this mineral, indicating its relevance to industrial applications.