Thousands march in Greenland to support Arctic island in the face of Trump's threats to take it over

NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Thousands of Greenlanders carefully marched across snow and ice to take a stand against U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday. They held signs of protest, waved their national flag and chanted “Greenland is not for sale” in support of their own self-governance in the face of increasing threats of an American takeover.

Just as they finished their trek from the small downtown of Greenland's capital city Nuuk to the U.S. Consulate, the news broke: Trump, from his home in Florida, announced he will charge a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight European countries over their opposition to U.S. control of Greenland.

“I thought this day couldn't get any worse but it just did,” Malik Dollerup-Scheibel said after The Associated Press told him about Trump's announcement. “It just shows he has no remorse for any kind of human being now.”

Trump has long said he thinks the U.S. should own the strategically located and mineral-rich island, which is a self-governing territory of Greenland. Trump intensified his calls a day after the military operation to oust former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

Dollerup-Scheibel, a 21-year-old Greenlander, and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen were among what others described as the island's biggest protest, drawing nearly a quarter of Nuuk's population. Others held rallies and solidarity marches across the Danish realm, including in Copenhagen, as well as in the capital of the Inuit-governed territory of Nunavut in Canada's far north.

“This is important for the whole world,” Danish protester Elise Riechie said as she held Danish and Greenlandic flags in Copenhagen. “There are many small countries. None of them are for sale.”

In Nuuk, Greenlanders of all ages listened to traditional songs as they walked to the consulate. Marie Pedersen, a 47-year-old Greenlander, said it was important to bring her children to the rally "to show them that they’re allowed to speak up.”

“We want to keep our own country and our own culture, and our family safe," she said.

Her 9-year-old daughter, Alaska, crafted her own “Greenland is not for sale” sign. The girl said her teachers have addressed the controversy and taught them about NATO at school.

“They tell us how to stand up if you’re being bullied by another country or something,” she said.

Meanwhile, Tom Olsen, a police officer in Nuuk, said Saturday's protest was the biggest he's ever seen there.

“I hope it can show him that we stand together in Europe,” he said. "We are not going down without a fight.”

Tillie Martinussen, a former member of Greenland's parliament, said she hopes the Trump administration will “abandon this crazy idea.”

“They started out as sort of touting themselves as our friends and allies, that they wanted to make Greenland better for us than the Danes would," she said as others chanted in the background. "And now they're just plain out threatening us.”

She added that the push to preserve NATO and Greenland’s autonomy were more important than facing tariffs, though she added that she was not dismissing the potential economic impact.

“This is a fight for freedom,” she said. “It’s for NATO, it’s for everything the Western Hemisphere has been fighting for since World War II.”

But when the AP asked Louise Lennert Olsen what she would say to Trump, the 40-year-old Greenlandic nurse instead said she wanted to give a message to the American people.

“I would really like them to support our wish to be Greenland as we are now,” she said as she marched through Nuuk. “I hope they will stand against their own president. Because I can’t believe they just stand and watch and do nothing."

Niemann reported from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Dazio from Berlin. Associated Press journalists Kwiyeon Ha and Evgeniy Maloletka in Nuuk, Greenland, contributed to this report.

People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A woman pulls her children on a sled during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A girl shouts during protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen speaks during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A girl shouts during protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY - A crowd walks to the US consulate to protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People march during a pro- Greenlanders demonstration, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Iqaluit residents, Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory and Siku Rojas hold a Greenlandic banner during a solidarity march through Nunavut's capital, on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Dustin Patar/The Canadian Press via AP)

People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Mark Cuban understands what this moment means for Indiana football, probably more than most.

Cuban, the billionaire entrepreneur, is a minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks. He knows what winning looks like. Knows what — and how long — it takes to build a successful program. As an Indiana alum — he graduated from the business school in 1981 — he also has watched its rapid rise from one of the most unsuccessful programs in college football history to the brink of a national title.

Cuban has poured millions into his alma mater over the years, long before Curt Cignetti took over the football team in 2024 and made it a national contender, including a $5 million donation in 2015 for a sports media center. Recently, Cuban has become a significant donor for the football program and earlier this year told Front Office Sports he has donated more money for the current transfer cycle.

Those donations were intended to help build the Hoosiers into a title contender, but even Cuban couldn't foresee a rise this dramatic. Indiana will enter Monday's College Football Playoff championship against Miami as the No. 1 team in the country looking to build on its best season in program history.

“I’ve literally had Centenarians tell me how unimaginable this has been,” Cuban said via email. “Players on the '68 Rose Bowl team tell me the same thing. It’s just all unreal.”

At a time in college football when name, image and likeness and the transfer portal dominate the landscape, Cuban's support for the Hoosiers shows how the right financial backing — and an institution's ability to attract the right celebrities and deep-pocketed alumni — can help alter a program's trajectory.

“It takes a village. It takes money,” Cignetti said Saturday. "But it’s not all about money. We’ve got a lot of alums, a lot of rich alums. Mark Cuban is a very visible guy. ... We kind of hit it off right off the bat. He’s got instant recognition, which only helps.”

Cuban has voiced his support for the team over the years and watched up close at the Peach Bowl when Indiana dominated Oregon to punch its ticket to the national championship. He has enjoyed the up-close ride but made it clear that simply getting to the title game isn't the goal.

“An appearance is fun. It’s been an amazing run,” Cuban said. “As someone who has lost (two) NBA Finals and won one, I can tell you losing hurts a lot more than winning is fun.”

The Hoosiers haven't given any indication they're done winning, though.

They're 26-2 since Cignetti took over and have gone 15-0 this year, earning their first No. 1 ranking in school history. Last month they won their first Big Ten title in nearly half a century. They've beaten Alabama (38-3) and Oregon (56-22) in the CFP by an average of 34.5 points.

Part of that success can be credited to the Hoosiers' Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who has thrown 41 touchdowns this season and has completed 31 of 36 passes in the playoff.

Part is because of their defense, which has been among the nation's stingiest all season.

But a huge factor in the Hoosiers' success is their measured, blunt-spoken head coach Cignetti, who is the first back-to-back AP coach of the year.

“He is CigGPT,” Cuban said. “He and (athletic director) Scott Dolson have redefined how to build a winning team in the NIL era. To IU fans this is everything."

Cignetti returned the praise to Indiana's biggest donor. He and Cuban are three years apart in age and were born in the same hospital in western Pennsylvania.

"If Mark Cuban wanted to give $10 million, that would be like me donating $10,000," Cignetti said. “But we’re glad that he’s involved. If he keeps doubling his donation, it’ll be big one day.”

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) kisses the trophy after the Peach Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal against Oregon, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza speaks during media day ahead of the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Miami. The game will be played on Monday. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti speaks during news conference ahead of the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Miami. The game will be played on Monday. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

FILE - Mark Cuban, center left, greets former Dallas Mavericks player Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers following an NBA basketball game in Dallas, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)