U.S. will ‘soon’ annex Greenland, wife of top Trump aide implies

By Elías Thorsson January 4, 2026
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Former Trump administration official and wife of top Trump aide Stephen Miller, Katie Miller, posted Saturday on X (formerly Twitter) an image of Greenland covered in the U.S. flag with the text “SOON”.

The image, which shows a detailed map of Greenland overlaid with the stars and stripes, quickly circulated for its apparent suggestion that the island will fall under U.S. control. The post offered no explanation and was not accompanied by any policy statement or official announcement (the following day, Trump refused to rule out force to annex Greenland, this was followed by statements from both the Danish PM and the Greenlandic Premier, which called on Trump to stop his “threats against a historically close ally”).

Miller is not a marginal figure. She held senior communications roles during Donald Trump’s first administration, including as a spokesperson at the Department of Homeland Security and later as communications director for then vice president Mike Pence. In Trump’s second administration she served as an advisor and spokesperson for the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Through those roles, and through her marriage to Stephen Miller—one of Trump’s closest advisers and a central figure in shaping immigration and national security policy—she remains closely embedded in Trump-aligned political networks. In the years since leaving government, she has developed a high-profile presence in MAGA media and political circles, where her public statements are often read as aligned with, or reflective of, thinking inside Trump world rather than as purely personal commentary.

The post drew a direct response from the Danish ambassador to the United States, Jesper Møller Sørensen. The official account of the Danish embassy in Washington reposted Miller’s image and stressed Denmark’s position, writing that “we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”

    The exchange unfolded on the same day as dramatic developments in Venezuela, where the United States launched a military attack and Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was abducted and removed from the country. Speaking to Fox News following the operation, Donald Trump framed the action in expansive terms. “American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again,” Trump said.

    Greenland occupies a central position in U.S. Arctic strategy due to its location, military infrastructure and role in missile warning and space surveillance. Over the past 12 months, Trump has repeatedly raised the idea of acquiring Greenland, a proposal that has at every turn been firmly rejected by both Greenlandic and Danish leaders.

    The broader context

    Miller’s post lands amid a series of developments that have sharply raised tensions between Washington and Copenhagen over Greenland. Denmark recently summoned the U.S. ambassador after the Trump administration appointed a special envoy for Greenland, a move Danish officials said crossed a diplomatic line and treated the territory as an object of U.S. policy rather than a self-governing part of the Danish realm. That episode was preceded by a striking reassessment from Danish intelligence, which for the first time formally recast the United States as a potential security challenge, citing pressure tactics and growing concern that Greenland has become a focal point of American power projection.

    At the same time, U.S. engagement with Greenland has increasingly involved Trump-aligned figures operating both inside and outside government. A Trump ally linked to the original push to purchase Greenland has quietly invested in Greenlandic companies, blurring the lines between private capital and geopolitical ambition. More recently, the administration named a controversial Trump associate to lead the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, reinforcing perceptions in Copenhagen and Nuuk that Greenland policy is being shaped by a narrow political circle rather than through established diplomatic channels. Against that backdrop, Miller’s image was seen by some observers not just as a joke or abstraction, but as another data point in a widening pattern that has unsettled Arctic allies and elevated concerns over U.S. intentions in the region.

    Update: One day following Miller’s post, on January 4, President Donald Trump repeated his calls for the annexation of Greenland, even refusing to rule out force to achieve his goal.