Fact Check: Did Denmark rename Greenland 'Epstein Island' to stop Trump from talking about it?

WASHINGTON, DC: In early January 2026, people online started saying Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, had supposedly renamed Greenland 'Epstein Island.'

The rumor said that she did this just to get President Donald Trump to stop mentioning capturing Greenland.

This rumor popped up right as Trump talked about the US taking over Greenland, plus, it was soon after US forces captured Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro.

Claim: Denmark renamed Greenland ‘Epstein Island’

The idea was that Trump, who had a long-standing association with Jeffrey Epstein and has repeatedly avoided calls to release files related to Epstein’s crimes, would abandon talk of buying Greenland if it were renamed “Epstein Island,” to avoid renewed scrutiny of those ties.

The claim appeared several times on X, as well as Facebook, with some social media users seemingly taking it at face value. 

This narrative has spread widely on platforms like X, TikTok and Facebook, gaining traction because of its sensational combination of Trump, Greenland and Epstein imagery.

Fact Check: Not true, originated as satire

'Epstein Island' generally refers to Little St James, an Epstein-owned island that served as his primary base of operations. 

Snopes fact check couldn’t find anything showing Denmark ever renamed Greenland 'Epstein Island.' That rumor actually started on a Dutch satire site called De Speld.

The website said, “Denmark is fed up with Donald Trump's constant threats against Greenland. During a press conference, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that the Arctic island will henceforth be called Epstein Island so that Trump will stop talking about it.”

"Let me be very clear: Epstein Island is ours," says a fierce Frederiksen. "If the US president deems it necessary to defend Epstein Island more effectively, we can discuss it as NATO allies. But Epstein Island will remain part of the Danish kingdom."

Later it was seen below that the media kit of the website said, “De Speld is the leading news platform for satire in the Netherlands. De Speld produces and publishes high-quality journalistic satire. With socially relevant content, they reach millions of people every day to entertain them, make them think, and get them moving.”, meaning the content of the website isn’t true, but it is for the purpose of satire and fun.

Trump did talk about Greenland, though. On January 5, 2026, he posted a video on Truth Social, his own social media platform, claiming the US needs to get Greenland for national security reasons.

Trump's interest in Greenland has spurred numerous pieces of satirical or false media and this claim is a part of that false narrative.