Some worried Greenlanders were gathering emergency supplies, with hunters "taking out their rifles" and readying them to defend against any would-be invaders, residents told NBC News.

Greenland's reserves of rare earth minerals rank as the world's eighth largest and nearly equal those of the U.S., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The president said the U.S. should have just kept the Danish territory after World War II and that Denmark was being “ungrateful” by not handing it over now.

"All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland, where we already had it as a trustee, but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago," Trump said.

President Trump has doubled down on threats to take control of Greenland. He will partly use a trip to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland to further press his case amid deep European skepticism.

The developments followed weeks of escalating threats from Trump to control Greenland by any means necessary — including by force, if left with no other choice.

Denmark deploys additional troops to Greenland after President Donald Trump claims the island is not secure from Russia or China.

The president’s effort to acquire Greenland, even with the threat of force off the table, has changed the way allies see the U.S.

President invokes World War II history to justify U.S. acquisition push, telling world leaders Denmark was unable to defend itself against Nazi Germany and should cede control of the strategic Arctic island.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Greenland was not "a natural part" of Denmark and that the problem of former colonial territories was becoming

Donald Trump has promised not to use military force to invade Greenland—but warned he would “remember” if Denmark refused to hand over the coveted “piece of ice.” In a 70-minute speech at the World Economic Forum,