Donald Trump Jr plans to visit Greenland, two weeks after his father reiterated that he wanted the United States to take control of the autonomous Danish territory. According to several American media, the son of the American president-elect plans to record video footage for a podcast during this private one-day visit.
Donald Trump reignited the controversy in December by declaring that “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for US national security. He had already expressed interest in purchasing the Arctic island during his first presidential term. Greenland’s leaders rebuffed Mr. Trump on both occasions. “We are not for sale and we will not be,” declared the island’s Prime Minister, Mute Egedein December. Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people. »
The president-elect confirmed his son’s trip on his social media platform Truth Social on Monday. He said Don Jr and “various representatives” would travel to Greenland “to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sites”. Trump added that Greenland and its people “will benefit enormously if and when it becomes part of our nation.” “We will protect and cherish it from a very vicious outside world,” he said. Make Greenland great again! »
The president-elect’s message also included a video showing an anonymous Greenlander, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, calling on Mr. Trump to buy Greenland and free it from “colonization” by Denmark.
“We belong to the same family”
The president-elect’s eldest son will not travel to Greenland on behalf of his father’s new administration, according to the Danish Foreign Ministry. “We have taken note of Donald Trump Jr’s planned visit to Greenland. As this is not an official US visit, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no further comment on this visit,” the ministry told BBC News.
Hours after President-elect Trump’s latest intervention, the Danish government announced a significant increase in defense spending for Greenland. Simple “irony of fate”, according to the Danish Minister of Defense, Troels Lund Poulsen. Even if this measure seems to betray a slight concern on the part of the Danish authorities. Monday, the King of Denmark Frederick X modified the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature representations of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. A rebuke of Mr. Trump or a desire to flex his muscles against the Greenland separatist movement? King Frederik also used his New Year’s speech to declare that the Kingdom of Denmark was united “all the way to Greenland”, adding that “we belong to the same family”. But for his part, Greenland’s prime minister used his own New Year’s speech to advocate independence from Denmark, saying the island must free itself from the “chains of colonialism.” Donald Trump could be tempted to play surf on this confrontation.
Furthermore, in recent weeks, Donald Trump has threatened to regain control of the Panama Canal, one of the most important waterways in the world. He accused Panama of imposing excessive access fees. This Monday, he also reacted to the resignation of Justin Trudeau by once again proposing to “merge” Canada with the United States.
