Donald Trump Jr landed in Greenland today (Tuesday) to film content for his podcast show, in the darkest and coldest time of the year, just two weeks after his father, the president-elect of the United States, declared that “American ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” In response, Shina King Frederick the Tenth of Denmark, who ascended the throne only in January 2024, the royal symbol in a dramatic way – removed the three historic crowns and replaced them with a polar bear and a lamb, symbolizing Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
According to a report by the Reuters news agency, Trump Jr.’s visit is defined as “private” and intended to film content for his podcast together with activist Charlie Kirk. Miningoak Kleist, the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Greenland, emphasized that “no meetings were planned with the representatives of the Greenlandic government”. In Noak, the capital of Greenland, today, less than five hours of daylight.
In response to Trump Sr.’s statement, Denmark announced an increase in the defense budget in Greenland by 1.3 billion euros. At the same time, the Prime Minister of Denmark, Metta Frederiksen, said in an interview with the local media that she welcomes the American interest in Greenland, adding: “We have a clear interest in the US playing a significant role in the region, and not, for example, Russia.”
According to an analysis published in “Bloomberg”, and as other experts believe, Greenland is a strategic asset for the US due to its location that dominates major shipping routes between the Arctic and the North Atlantic, including the Northwest Passage. In addition, the island contains 37 of the 50 minerals defined as “critical” by the US, and its oil and gas reserves are estimated to be one third of the largest in the Arctic.
Mota Agada, Prime Minister of Greenland, surprised in his New Year’s speech when he called to remove the “shackles of colonialism” and promote independence from Denmark: “The time has come for us to take a step and shape our future, also regarding cooperation and commercial partners,” Agada told the Wall Street Journal. Although he emphasized that “Greenland is not for sale and will never be for sale”.
Professor Stephen Press of Stanford University points out in the Wall Street Journal that the idea is not unusual in American history: over 40% of the US territory was acquired in similar deals, including the purchase of Alaska from Russia, Louisiana from France, Florida from Spain and the Virgin Islands from Denmark itself in 1917. 1946 – The USA even officially offered 100 million dollars for Greenland.
Elon Musk, who is expected to head the new Department for Government Efficiency in the incoming Trump administration, joined the discussion when he tweeted on Network X: “The people of Greenland must decide their future, and I think they want to be part of America!”.
While the island with the strategic resources has only about 57,000 inhabitants, the fight over its future reflects growing tensions between the powers. In 2009, Greenland received the right to demand independence through a referendum, and in 2023 its government presented a first draft constitution for an independent country – a move that raised concern in Copenhagen and interest in Washington.