Trump tells Canada to be ‘grateful’ for US Golden Dome defense system

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States should control Greenland to build a large-scale “Golden Dome” missile defense system he claimed would also protect Canada, arguing that the country depends on U.S. security.

“We’re building a Golden Dome that’s going to, just by its very nature, going to be defending Canada. Canada gets a lot of freebies from us, by the way. They should be grateful also,” Trump told attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“But they’re not. I watched your prime minister yesterday. He wasn’t so grateful. They should be grateful to us, Canada. Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that Mark, the next time you make your statements,” he said, referring to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s address on Tuesday.

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It remains unclear whether Canada will take part in the construction of the Golden Dome, an ambitious missile defense system unveiled by the White House in May, though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that the Trump administration has invited Ottawa to participate.

“Greenland is strategically important for [Trump’s] Golden Dome project to protect the U.S. and he’s invited Canada into that if they want to pay their share,” Bessent said during an interview with CNBC in Davos.

The Trump administration has estimated the system will cost roughly $175 billion and will use space-based sensors, interceptors and other advanced missile defense technologies.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated in a May report that the space-based interceptors could cost between $161 billion and $542 billion over 20 years.

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Carney, in his speech at the World Economic Forum, did not mention Trump by name in his address, but warned that the rules-based international order is breaking down as “great powers” increasingly use economic and security leverage to coerce allies.

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He argued that “middle powers” like Canada must heed the “wake-up call” that compliance does not guarantee safety, and instead, build strength through diversification, collective action, and respect for sovereignty. 

Carney also reaffirmed Canada’s support for Greenland and Denmark’s right to determine Greenland’s future, signaling opposition to territorial or economic pressure tied to security demands.