The Case for Spirituality in Greenland
Certain members of the conservative movement view the nation as the next American frontier.
TroibNews 
As President-elect Donald Trump continues to push his proposal for increased U.S. control over Greenland, many of his supporters in the MAGA movement are framing the initiative in familiar foreign policy terms. A prevalent argument among these defenders is that acquiring greater control over Greenland—whether through purchase, annexation, or new agreements with its government—aligns with America’s geopolitical and economic goals. This is largely due to the island's proximity to crucial shipping lanes, its strategic significance in the Arctic, and its rich reserves of vital minerals.
However, a segment of the conservative movement known as the New Right presents a more unconventional case for the acquisition of Greenland. For many within this faction, seizing Greenland is not just about material and strategic interests; it's also integral to America’s spiritual vitality.
These arguments vary widely, from the audacious to the eccentric. Some New Right proponents suggest that acquiring Greenland would symbolize the dawn of a new American frontier, rekindling the “frontier mentality” and “settler spirit” that defined 19th-century pioneers. Others propose that Greenland could act as a spiritual and technological launchpad for even grander ambitions, such as the eventual colonization of Mars. Despite differing emphases and frameworks, many among this group believe that Trump’s reelection marks a pivotal moment for American spiritual renewal—one where territorial expansion is seen as a crucial catalyst for transformation.
“I think having a frontier is very healthy,” said Joe Lonsdale, a major Trump donor and Peter Thiel’s co-founder at Palantir, in a recent interview with the BBC. “It’s a frontier mindset — it’s taking new possibilities, it’s creating new things.”
Currently, these arguments are circulating among a relatively small, online community of conservatives, many connected to Silicon Valley's "tech right." They could resonate with influential figures in the forthcoming Trump administration. One key ally is Ken Howery, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Denmark, which oversees Greenland and will be vital in determining its future. Howery, a founding member of Silicon Valley's "PayPal mafia" and former ambassador to Sweden, has close ties to both Elon Musk and Thiel, who is a prominent figure within the New Right.
Many conservatives draw inspiration from a concept familiar to Americans from their high school history lessons: Frederick Jackson Turner’s “frontier thesis.” Introduced by Turner in 1893, this theory posits that the settlement of America's Western frontier played a significant role in shaping the nation's culture and political ethos, and that the closure of the frontier in the 1890s threatened America's self-identity.
While contemporary historians have critiqued Turner’s thesis, Trump’s supporters have resonated with its themes in their justifications for his Greenland proposal. In December, the magazine IM-1776, known for its nationalistic perspectives within the New Right, published an article by an anonymous author who argued that settling Greenland would represent “the opening up of a new territory for Western men to enter, a frontier that would forge, in time, a new people, conditioned by the cold climate and the harsh terrain.”
More mainstream conservatives have echoed similar sentiments. Recently, Eric Teetsel, executive vice president at the Trump-aligned think tank Center for Renewing America, wrote an op-ed connecting Trump's Greenland proposal to the legacy of “explorers defying long odds in pursuit of their dream of a better life, from Plymouth Rock to Lewis and Clark, the Sooners to the 49ers.”
“For 100 years, America’s domestic and foreign policy was dictated by the mandate to control our destiny from sea to shining sea,” Teetsel wrote. “President-elect Trump is reviving a sense of that spirit.”
This rhetoric is not entirely new for the tech right. In recent years, Thiel and others have explored various “exit projects” aimed at enabling libertarian-minded individuals to escape the confines of liberal democracies. These proposals have included living off the grid in the Mountain West and “seasteading,” which involves creating autonomous communities on floating platforms in international waters.
Some factions within the tech right view Trump’s Greenland plans as a potential chance to “exit” from mainstream American society. “Greenland represents the reopening of the frontier,” wrote Dryden Brown, founder of Praxis, a company that aims to establish an autonomous “network state” funded by cryptocurrency. Earlier this year, Brown mentioned exploring Greenland as a potential site for a new “privatized charter state,” which he imagined could serve as a “prototype” for a self-sustaining colony on Mars. He also tagged Elon Musk in relation to his proposal.
However, there are indications that the MAGA coalition doesn’t unanimously support the tech right's ambitious visions for a super colony in Greenland. On a recent episode of his War Room podcast, Steve Bannon, who has generally backed Trump’s plan to acquire Greenland, distanced himself from what he termed the tech right’s “transhumanist” vision for the territory, reigniting tensions with Musk and tech right ideologies.
“I certainly hope Greenland is not what’s being proposed by these guys,” Bannon said.
Despite differences in perspective, Trump’s ambitions regarding Greenland—and his proposals for regaining control over the Panama Canal and possibly claiming parts of Canada—reflect a response to what many in the populist-nationalist camp perceive as genuine geostrategic challenges facing the U.S. With China's ascendance and the waning of American dominance, many conservatives feel the post-Cold War “unipolar moment” is fading, leading to increased competition among major powers.
“We have already seen that we are in an era of new imperialism,” said conservative foreign policy analyst Sumantra Maitra, referencing Russia’s activities in Ukraine, China’s strategies in Sri Lanka and Africa, as well as Israeli and Turkish maneuvers in Syria. As the global multipolar framework begins to crumble, he noted, “the U.S. is starting to act like a normal great power, which is used to [defending] its own set of interests."
Still, Maitra expresses some skepticism about the spiritual rationale for expansion, believing that the structural and material arguments for claiming Greenland are robust enough on their own. Nevertheless, he sees the value in the broader discourse.
“If it leads to more competition and more innovation, that’s fine by me.”
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
However, a segment of the conservative movement known as the New Right presents a more unconventional case for the acquisition of Greenland. For many within this faction, seizing Greenland is not just about material and strategic interests; it's also integral to America’s spiritual vitality.
These arguments vary widely, from the audacious to the eccentric. Some New Right proponents suggest that acquiring Greenland would symbolize the dawn of a new American frontier, rekindling the “frontier mentality” and “settler spirit” that defined 19th-century pioneers. Others propose that Greenland could act as a spiritual and technological launchpad for even grander ambitions, such as the eventual colonization of Mars. Despite differing emphases and frameworks, many among this group believe that Trump’s reelection marks a pivotal moment for American spiritual renewal—one where territorial expansion is seen as a crucial catalyst for transformation.
“I think having a frontier is very healthy,” said Joe Lonsdale, a major Trump donor and Peter Thiel’s co-founder at Palantir, in a recent interview with the BBC. “It’s a frontier mindset — it’s taking new possibilities, it’s creating new things.”
Currently, these arguments are circulating among a relatively small, online community of conservatives, many connected to Silicon Valley's "tech right." They could resonate with influential figures in the forthcoming Trump administration. One key ally is Ken Howery, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Denmark, which oversees Greenland and will be vital in determining its future. Howery, a founding member of Silicon Valley's "PayPal mafia" and former ambassador to Sweden, has close ties to both Elon Musk and Thiel, who is a prominent figure within the New Right.
Many conservatives draw inspiration from a concept familiar to Americans from their high school history lessons: Frederick Jackson Turner’s “frontier thesis.” Introduced by Turner in 1893, this theory posits that the settlement of America's Western frontier played a significant role in shaping the nation's culture and political ethos, and that the closure of the frontier in the 1890s threatened America's self-identity.
While contemporary historians have critiqued Turner’s thesis, Trump’s supporters have resonated with its themes in their justifications for his Greenland proposal. In December, the magazine IM-1776, known for its nationalistic perspectives within the New Right, published an article by an anonymous author who argued that settling Greenland would represent “the opening up of a new territory for Western men to enter, a frontier that would forge, in time, a new people, conditioned by the cold climate and the harsh terrain.”
More mainstream conservatives have echoed similar sentiments. Recently, Eric Teetsel, executive vice president at the Trump-aligned think tank Center for Renewing America, wrote an op-ed connecting Trump's Greenland proposal to the legacy of “explorers defying long odds in pursuit of their dream of a better life, from Plymouth Rock to Lewis and Clark, the Sooners to the 49ers.”
“For 100 years, America’s domestic and foreign policy was dictated by the mandate to control our destiny from sea to shining sea,” Teetsel wrote. “President-elect Trump is reviving a sense of that spirit.”
This rhetoric is not entirely new for the tech right. In recent years, Thiel and others have explored various “exit projects” aimed at enabling libertarian-minded individuals to escape the confines of liberal democracies. These proposals have included living off the grid in the Mountain West and “seasteading,” which involves creating autonomous communities on floating platforms in international waters.
Some factions within the tech right view Trump’s Greenland plans as a potential chance to “exit” from mainstream American society. “Greenland represents the reopening of the frontier,” wrote Dryden Brown, founder of Praxis, a company that aims to establish an autonomous “network state” funded by cryptocurrency. Earlier this year, Brown mentioned exploring Greenland as a potential site for a new “privatized charter state,” which he imagined could serve as a “prototype” for a self-sustaining colony on Mars. He also tagged Elon Musk in relation to his proposal.
However, there are indications that the MAGA coalition doesn’t unanimously support the tech right's ambitious visions for a super colony in Greenland. On a recent episode of his War Room podcast, Steve Bannon, who has generally backed Trump’s plan to acquire Greenland, distanced himself from what he termed the tech right’s “transhumanist” vision for the territory, reigniting tensions with Musk and tech right ideologies.
“I certainly hope Greenland is not what’s being proposed by these guys,” Bannon said.
Despite differences in perspective, Trump’s ambitions regarding Greenland—and his proposals for regaining control over the Panama Canal and possibly claiming parts of Canada—reflect a response to what many in the populist-nationalist camp perceive as genuine geostrategic challenges facing the U.S. With China's ascendance and the waning of American dominance, many conservatives feel the post-Cold War “unipolar moment” is fading, leading to increased competition among major powers.
“We have already seen that we are in an era of new imperialism,” said conservative foreign policy analyst Sumantra Maitra, referencing Russia’s activities in Ukraine, China’s strategies in Sri Lanka and Africa, as well as Israeli and Turkish maneuvers in Syria. As the global multipolar framework begins to crumble, he noted, “the U.S. is starting to act like a normal great power, which is used to [defending] its own set of interests."
Still, Maitra expresses some skepticism about the spiritual rationale for expansion, believing that the structural and material arguments for claiming Greenland are robust enough on their own. Nevertheless, he sees the value in the broader discourse.
“If it leads to more competition and more innovation, that’s fine by me.”
Frederick R Cook contributed to this report for TROIB News
