A CNN poll, conducted by SSRS, a leading US market research and social opinion survey firm, surveyed over 1,200 adults across the United States from 9/1 to 12/1. Its aim was to gauge public opinion on the foreign policy of President Donald Trump's administration.

The survey results, released on 15/1, revealed that 75% of respondents opposed the US "seeking to control Greenland", with 52% expressing "strong opposition" to the idea. Conversely, approximately 25% of those surveyed supported the proposal.

Among Republican voters, support and opposition for the idea of controlling Greenland were evenly split at 50% each. However, among Democratic voters, 94% opposed President Trump's proposal, with 80% stating "strong opposition". Independent voters, who do not lean towards either major party, showed 80% opposition to President Trump's idea.

President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House on 2/12. Photo: AP

A majority of survey participants also opposed President Trump's use of power to influence other nations, asserting that he had "gone too far". The Trump administration recently initiated a campaign into Venezuela, leading to the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro, and also issued threats of intervention in Iran.

The survey was conducted amidst President Trump's reaffirmation on 14/1 of his intention to acquire Greenland, an autonomous island territory of Denmark, even if it required force. On the same day, Danish and Greenlandic officials visited the White House for negotiations with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, but the parties failed to reach an agreement on the island's future.

Following these developments, several European nations announced plans to deploy troops to Greenland, aiming to bolster the island's security. Despite this, the White House declared that the presence of European soldiers in Greenland would not impact the US's plans to control the territory.

Greenland's location. Graphic: Britannica

Greenland stands as the world's largest island, situated near North America, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. It has a population of 57,000 people and covers an area of approximately 2,16 million km2, making it larger than Mexico and more than three times the size of the US state of Texas.

The island's location on the shortest maritime route from North America to Europe renders it a strategically important site for Washington. Furthermore, Greenland boasts abundant mineral resources, a significant portion of which remains untapped.

By Ngoc Anh (Sources: CNN, Politico, Reuters)