Did US official say America wants to acquire Greenland to restore endless shrimp at Red Lobster?

Throughout U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, he and members of his administration have repeatedly expressed a desire or threatened to acquire Greenland — a self-governing territory of NATO ally Denmark — through whatever means possible. The Trump administration has even considered annexing the Arctic island territory, largely populated by native Inuit people, through military force.

Trump has previously suggested he is interested in the territory for security reasons, its resources and his desire to control the western hemisphere. In June 2026, some social media users began suggesting that another reason could be to see the return of all-you-can-eat shrimp at restaurant chain Red Lobster.

For example, on June 22, one Facebook user (archived) claimed, “One reason the US is considering acquiring Greenland is to secure access to seafood that could potentially bring back unlimited shrimp at Red Lobster, US official says.”

Similar iterations of the rumor were shared on X (archived), Instagram (archived) and Reddit (archived).

Those posts all reference a quote that Tom Dans — whom Trump appointed on Dec. 2, 2025, to lead the United States Arctic Research Commission, the federal agency, also known as USARC, responsible for U.S. Arctic policy — reportedly told The New Yorker magazine on June 15, 2026.

The New Yorker’s article (archived), “Inside the Ludicrous, Deadly Serious Plan to Take Over Greenland,” is based on months of reporting from writer Ben Taub.

The publication introduces Tom Dans as one of three Americans whom Denmark identified as running private “influence operations” in Greenland. Dans, a former venture capitalist, joined the first Trump administration, in its final month, as USARC commissioner and was appointed to the “Greenland Policy Coordination Committee,” according to The New Yorker. In his second term, Trump appointed Dans as USARC chair. As the head of the agency, Dans has significant influence on U.S. policy regarding Greenland, which is almost entirely within the Arctic Circle and is covered by the polar region’s only ice sheet.

Dans’ alleged quote about Red Lobster appears near the end of the article (emphasis in bold, ours):

Tom Dans was appointed by Trump as the chair of the United States Arctic Research Commission in December. When I met him for lunch in Washington, earlier this year, he declined to speak further on the record, except to articulate a narrow, symbiotic vision for the future: “My view is that the United States could take all the seafood Greenland could produce, and cut out the middleman, and keep it from China—and you could bring back all-you-can-eat shrimp at Red Lobster.“

This is the only time seafood or Red Lobster is mentioned in the entire story.

Snopes emailed Dans for confirmation that he made these comments. Though media bias outlets consider The New Yorker a reliable publication, it is not possible to independently verify the quote’s veracity without Dans’ confirmation. Therefore, we have left this claim unrated.

Notably, Dans began the quote with “my view,” suggesting it is a personal opinion instead of one the administration shares at large. However, since Dans is a member of the Trump administration who has been involved in its quest to annex Greenland, it is also possible that his view aligns with that of the administration.

Additionally, it is difficult to interpret tone in text. It is possible Dans was being serious, but it is also possible his remarks were tongue-in-cheek. In our email to Dans, we asked how he intended his comments to be interpreted.

Either way, Red Lobster does not appear to need Greenland’s seafood supply to provide its customers with a world of infinite shrimp. In June 2026, the restaurant chain is offering dine-in customers “Endless Shrimp” for a limited time, although there is no set end date for the offer. The company began offering the deal in April.

For further reading, Snopes has previously fact-checked several claims about Greenland and Trump’s interest in the territory.