“Greenland is an incredible place and its people, if and when they become part of our nation, will benefit enormously… MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN ! » (“Make Greenland great again”), Donald Trump, who is preparing to become president of the United States again, wrote on Truth Social on Monday. A statement which provoked numerous reactions in Greenland and Denmark, just as his son, Donald Trump Jr, arrived there.
A visit as a “tourist”
The plane marked “Trump” and carrying the president-elect’s son landed early in the afternoon (French time) at Nuuk airport, along the snow-covered fjord. Questioned by Greenlandic public television and radio KNR when he got off the plane, Donald Trump Jr said he was there as a “tourist” and had not planned any official meetings. The local press assures that he will be there for only a few hours. “This trip is probably just what Trump Jr. says himself, to make video content,” said Ulrik Pram Gad, Greenland specialist at the Danish Institute of International Studies.
His father, however, reignited speculation shortly after, saying on Truth Social that the island “needs safety, security, strength and peace. It’s a deal that needs to be made.” Trump Jr was also filmed by his team at a restaurant in Nuuk, surrounded by supporters listening to his father touting a deal with Greenland over the phone.
The autonomous Danish territory arouses desire for its natural resources – although oil prospecting and uranium exploitation are prohibited there – and for its geostrategic importance – the United States already has a military base there. “What is worrying is the way in which Trump [père] talks about international relations and it could get worse if he starts to ‘grab countries’,” says Ulrik Pram Gad.
This is not the first time that the American billionaire has taken an interest in Greenland. He had considered buying it in 2019 during his first mandate and had already been rejected.
“Greenland for the Greenlanders”
“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and never will be,” wrote the head of the Greenlandic government Mute Egede on Facebook before Christmas following an initial suggestion of annexation. “Most Greenlanders will agree with their Prime Minister that Greenland is not for sale but open for business,” explains the researcher.
“No thanks,” said MP Aaja Chemnitz, who represents Greenland in the Danish Parliament, after Donald Trump’s offer. “Unbelievable that some people can be so naive as to think that our happiness is achieved by becoming American citizens,” she wrote on Facebook, refusing to “be a pawn in Trump’s burning dreams of expanding his empire to our country.” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stressed, on the Danish channel TV2, that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders”. “The United States is our closest ally,” she added.
Closer to America than Europe
With its 57,000 inhabitants spread over 2.2 million km2which represents the lowest population density in the world, the immense Arctic island is geographically closer to the American continent than to Europe. Colonized by the Danes in the 18th centurye century, it is some 2,500 km from the tutelary power, to which it still owes a fifth of its annual GDP, in the form of subsidies.
The other pillar of the local economy is fishing. Autonomous since 1979, Greenland has its flag, its language and its institutions but justice, monetary policy, foreign policy, defense and security still depend on Copenhagen.
Tensions with Copenhagen
The post of ambassador for the Arctic has crystallized tensions between the two capitals because Denmark had appointed a diplomat without links to the region two years ago. At the end of December, the Danish government announced that Nuuk would now nominate a candidate for this position and chair the Arctic Council on behalf of the Scandinavian kingdom.
During his wishes, the Greenlandic Prime Minister affirmed that the territory must take “a step forward” and shape its future “particularly with regard to [ses] business partners and people with whom we should work closely.
In 2023, a draft Constitution was presented to the local Parliament, the Inatsisartut. “There has been no public debate since,” notes researcher Ulrik Pram Gad. The discussion could, however, emerge during the next campaign, with local legislative elections due to take place no later than April 6. “I expect more discussions on the formal steps towards independence, on how politicians want to secure the welfare state and the future of Greenland.”
