The White House published a Presidential Message on Leif Erikson Day on October 9, 2026, casting Leif Erikson as the first European to reach the North American continent and saying the administration would build on its relationships with Nordic partners.
The message also said the administration had secured Greenland’s future as a bastion for U.S. security and transatlantic defense. It said a recent agreement with Denmark and Greenland gives the United States permanent control over security in Greenland and that the deal permanently recognized Greenland as an essential national security partner.
