Donald Trump Jr arrived in Greenland, weeks after his father said he wanted the United States to take control of Danish Autonomous territory.
Before his visit, Trump Jr said he was embarking on a “personal traveler” and had no meeting planned with government representatives.
President-elected Donald Trump recently relaunched a controversy he ignited last month when he said that “the property and control of Greenland are an absolute necessity” for the United States. “We are not for sale,” replied the Prime Minister of the island at the time.
Asked Tuesday if he could exclude the use of the military or economic force on the issue, Trump said he couldn't.
With a population of 57,000 inhabitants, Greenland has a large autonomy – but its economy depends largely on Copenhagen's subsidies and it remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
During his first mandate as president, Donald Trump expressed his interest in buying the Arctic island. He was postponed then, as he was now.
Asked about Trump Jr's visit to Greenland, Danish Prime Minister Put Frederiksen said on Danish television that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” and that only the local population could determine their future.
She agreed that “Greenland is not for sale”, but underlined Denmark needed very close cooperation with the United States, a close ally of NATO.
The Prime Minister of Greenland was to meet King Frederik in Copenhagen on Wednesday, but the meeting was postponed because of what Egede called the “gymnastics of the calendar”. According to Danish reports, the Prime Minister was still due to go to Copenhagen on Tuesday.
The Danish government's response to Trump JR's visit has frustrated several opposition politicians in Copenhagen.
Conservative deputy Rasmus Jarlov posted on social networks in English that “this level of disrespect of the American president to come to allies and very, very faithful, is the implementation”.
After the arrival of his son in Nuuk, the president elected Trump declared on his social platform of truth that “the reception was great”. Another article included a selection of images showing Trump Jr standing next to people wearing red make America hats.
Trump said that Greenland “and the free world need security, security, strength and peace!”
“Make Greenland again!” He added.
Before leaving for his father's private jet, nicknamed Trump Force One, Trump JR, 47, said that on his podcast had triggered: “No, I don't buy Greenland” – although he said he loved him there.
The eldest son of the elected president played a key role during the American electoral campaign in 2024, appearing frequently during rallies and in the media.
Another publications on his father's social networks included a video featuring an unnamed groenland, telling Trump to buy Greenland and free it from “being colonized” by Denmark.
The identity of the man in the clip was not clear, but the Danish media reported that he had been sentenced to prison six years ago for drug offenses.
Greenland is on the shortest road from North America to Europe, which makes it strategically important for the United States. It also houses a large American space installation.
A few hours after the president elected Trump repeated his interest in the purchase of Greenland last month, the Danish government announced a Enormous increase in defense expenses for the island. The Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen described the timing of the announcement as an “irony of fate”.
Monday, King Frederik X changed the royal coat of arms to present greater representations of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Some have seen this as a reprimand in Trump, but it could also prove controversial with the separatist movement of Greenland.
King Frederik used his New Year's speech to say that the Kingdom of Denmark was united “to Greenland”, adding “We belong together”.
But the Prime Minister of Greenland used his own New Year's discourse to say that the island must free himself from the “colonialism chains”.
Trump is not the first American president to suggest buying Greenland. The idea was mentioned for the first time by the 17th president of the country, Andrew Johnson, in the 1860s.
Separately in recent weeks, Trump has threatened to reaffirm control over the Panama CanalOne of the most important waterways in the world. He accused Panama of having charged excessive costs to access it.
The president of Panama replied by saying “every square meter” of the canal and the surrounding area belonged to his country.
