Weeks after his father declared his desire for the United States to annex the self-governing Danish region, Donald Trump Jr. has traveled to Greenland.
Trump Jr. stated prior to his travel that he was going on a “personal day-trip” and that he had no appointments with government representatives.
When he stated last month that “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for the United States, President-elect Donald Trump recently reignited a controversy. The island’s prime minister at the time retorted, “We are not for sale,”
Trump responded on Tuesday that he could not rule out the use of economic or military action in the situation.
Despite having broad autonomy and a population of 57,000, Greenland’s economy is heavily reliant on Copenhagen subsidies, and it is still a part of the Danish crown.
Donald Trump indicated interest in purchasing the Arctic island during his first term in office. Like now, he was rejected even then.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish TV that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and that only the locals could decide their own destiny when questioned about Trump Jr.’s trip to Greenland.
Although she acknowledged that “Greenland is not for sale,” she emphasized that Denmark needs to work closely with the US, a strong NATO partner.
The prime minister of Greenland was scheduled to see King Frederik in Copenhagen on Wednesday, but what Egede called “calendar gymnastics” caused the meeting to be postponed. The prime minister was still scheduled to visit Copenhagen on Tuesday, according to Danish newspapers.
Several opposition MPs in Copenhagen have expressed frustration with the Danish government’s handling of Trump Jr.’s visit.
“This level of disrespect from the coming US president towards very, very loyal allies and friends is record-setting,” Conservative MP Rasmus Jarlov wrote on social media in English.
President-elect Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that “the reception has been great” when his son arrived in Nuuk. A collection of pictures featuring Trump Jr. standing next to individuals sporting red “Make America Great Again” hats were featured in another post.
Greenland “and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and peace!” according to Trump.
He went on, “Make Greenland great again!”
Trump Jr., 47, stated on his podcast Triggered, “No, I am not buying Greenland” before boarding his father’s private jet, known as Trump Force One, even though he claimed to have loved being there.
During the 2024 US election campaign, the president-elect’s eldest son was a major player, routinely making appearances at rallies and in the media.
In a another social media post, his father shared a video of an anonymous Greenlander urging Trump to purchase Greenland and stop Denmark from “colonizing” it.
Although it remained unknown who the man in the video was, Danish media revealed that he had been convicted of drug offenses and imprisoned six years prior.
Greenland is strategically significant for the United States since it is located on the shortest path from North America to Europe. A sizable American space complex is also located there.
The Danish government authorized a massive increase in defense expenditure for Greenland just hours after President-elect Trump reiterated his interest in purchasing the island last month. The timing of the announcement was called a “irony of fate” by Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
King Frederik X modified the royal coat of arms on Monday, making Greenland and the Faroe Islands more noticeable.
Although some have interpreted this as a jab at Trump, Greenland’s secession movement may make it contentious as well.
King Frederik declared in his New Year’s speech that “we belong together” and that the Kingdom of Denmark was united “all the way to Greenland.”
However, the prime minister of Greenland stated in his own New Year’s speech that the island needs to escape “the shackles of colonialism.”
President Trump is hardly the first American leader to propose purchasing Greenland. In the 1860s, Andrew Johnson, the nation’s 17th president, originally proposed the idea.
Trump has also threatened to regain control of the Panama Canal, one of the most significant waterways in the world, in recent weeks. He has charged that Panama charges exorbitant prices to have access to it.
In response, the president of Panama declared that “every square metre” of the canal and its environs belonged to his nation.
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