Trump says oil, gas and mineral exploration in Greenland is set to begin. It's not that simple

President Donald Trump said "massive" oil, gas and mineral exploration is set to begin in "our new and beautiful Greenland " early Wednesday. The US president has claimed Greenland holds vast and easily accessible oil reserves without providing evidence or details. His announcement follows a deal expanding the US military presence on the Arctic island.

It wasn’t immediately clear what exploration or developments the U.S. president was referring to in his post, and Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, rather than a part of the United States. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform following a campaign event Tuesday in Wasilla, Alaska, to stump for Republican U.S.

Dan Sullivan as he seeks his third term to represent the state in an election against Democratic former U.S. Rising energy prices — a direct result of Trump’s war in Iran — are creating serious and sustained financial hardships for America’s working class ahead of the midterm elections next month. Trump’s comments Wednesday are likely aimed at addressing voters’ concerns before they head to the polls.

But despite Trump’s optimism, resource exploration and extraction in Greenland has stymied companies for decades thanks to the island’s harsh climate, lack of key infrastructure and difficult geology. Previous efforts to extract so-called rare earth minerals, as well as oil and gas, have never progressed beyond the exploratory stage. A recent deal paved the way for more US bases but didn’t offer exploration rights Trump’s comments about the Arctic island come less than a month after he signed an agreement with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic following months of tensions with NATO allies over the U.S.

president’s repeated demands to take control of the semiautonomous Danish territory. any special exploration rights, but does place some limits on investments by non-NATO countries in strategic sectors. The deal also paved the way for more U.S.

bases in Greenland and eased tensions over Trump’s repeated calls for Greenland to become part of the United States. The agreement would still apply if Greenland eventually chooses independence. Trump has expressed his desire to acquire Greenland since as long ago as 2019 and, during his second term, issued threats to seize the territory from Denmark, a NATO ally.