Discursive Power and Geopolitical Imagination: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Donald Trump’s Rhetoric on Greenland

Abstract

This study provides evidence about the strategic use of language to build and legitimize the geopolitical power by concentrating on the rhetoric of Donald Trump on Greenland. Doing Critical Discourse Analysis and getting insight from Michel Foucault and Norman Fairclough’s ideas, the research analyses the chosen statements from 2025-2026 to scrutinize how discourse helps shaping narratives of power, security and regional legitimacy. The study uses Fairclough’s three-dimensional model to evaluate textual features, discursive practices and social contexts. The results show that Trump’s use of language proves Greenland as a strategic asset for America and legitimizes the U.S. authority to hold it by establishing the rhetoric of nationalism, security and economic promises. Moreover, he uses binaries, bullying diplomacy and debasing the local authority to justify intervention. The study summarizes that political language not merely highlights the political fact but also establish them by strengthening the global power and shaping international relations through discourse.