Shortly before Christmas, Donald Trump made territorial claims for the USA in a series of postings on his own short message service Truth Social, thereby antagonizing several nations.
The future US president wrote, among other things, that Canada should “merge” with the USA – and he renewed his desire to “buy” the island of Greenland from Denmark. Only 56,000 people live on the approximately two million square kilometer island, but it is rich in mineral resources.
“For reasons of national security and freedom in the world, the United States believes that possession and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump wrote on December 23. And further: “Greenland is an incredible place and the people will benefit enormously from it if and when it becomes part of our nation.”
On Tuesday, less than two weeks after the posting, Trump finally announced that his eldest son Donald Trump Jr. would travel to Greenland “along with various representatives” to “visit the great sights.” Trump Jr. also acts as his father’s political advisor and has recently appeared more frequently at his father’s side.
No official visit, Greenland’s Prime Minister reacts: “Not for sale”
The Danish Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it had “taken note” of Trump Jr.’s upcoming visit. However, no comment will be made “as this is not an official visit by a representative of the US government.”
Greenland’s Foreign Minister, Mininnguaq Kleist, confirmed to Danish media that no official appointments with Trump Jr. were planned. It appears to be a private trip; US representatives had not informed them of the visit in advance.
Also Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has not yet commented on the visit. The 37-year-old has only responded to Trump’s statements with a Facebook posting, in which he wrote, among other things: “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale.”
The Danish Prime Minister’s office also referred to Edege’s posting Mette Frederiksen. Trump Junior’s visit to the island “does not want to comment”, especially in view of the “unequivocal statement by the Prime Minister of Greenland that Greenland is not for sale”. In the fall, Frederiksen had already described Donald Trump’s statements as “absurd”.
It is not the first time that Donald Trump has shown interest in the largest island on earth. Already in 2019, during his first term in office, he had incurred the anger of the Danish government for such statements. Trump responded at the time by canceling a planned state visit to Copenhagen.
Greenland actually wants to become independent
Regardless of Trump’s demands, the relationship between Greenland and Denmark has been strained for years. Although the island has been largely politically autonomous and self-governing since 1979, the Danish King Frederik X continues to serve as head of state – much to the displeasure of a large part of the Greenlandic population.
Prime Minister Egede recently reiterated in his New Year’s address that his main political goal is to lead the island to independence. King Frederik reacted with a symbolic approach: he had Denmark’s official coat of arms changed, on which Greenland’s heraldic animal – the polar bear – would be depicted more prominently.