The unexpected visit of Donald Trump Jr., eldest son of the president-elect of USAto Greenland, altered the political climate in Denmark and in that autonomous territory of the Danish kingdom, in which the next tenant of the White House has been interested.
Although Trump Jr.’s trip lasted only a few hours, was private and did not include meetings with Greenlandic authorities, and he insisted that he was arriving only as a tourist, it generated numerous reactions both in Denmark like in Greenland.
Trump Jr’s arrival occurred weeks after his father declared that “ownership and control” of the island, which he already wanted to acquire during his first presidency, is “an absolute necessity” for American national security.
From his account on the Truth Social application, Trump stated today that Greenland is “an amazing place and people will benefit if it becomes part of our nation” and, in another later message, that “this is a deal that must be made.”
Truth Social
Truth Social
In a press conference from his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Donald Trump He did not rule out a hypothetical use of military force or imposing tariffs on Denmark to take control of the island.
“My starting point, and that of the Government, is very clear: the future of Greenland is defined in Greenland,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told TV2, calling for “calm” in a message similar to from several weeks ago.
Frederiksen added that yes Greenland At some point you make a decision about your future, “we will take a position as a Danish government”, alluding to the island’s right to self-determination.
Meeting with the king canceled and elections approaching
“Let me repeat it: Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders. Our future and our fight for independence is our business. “The Danes, Americans and everyone else may have an opinion, but we must not fall prey to hysteria and be distracted by external pressures,” Greenlandic President Mute B. Egede wrote on his Facebook account today.
Egede had raised suspicions when he spoke in his New Year’s speech that it was time to take “the next step for our country” and by canceling an audience tomorrow in Copenhagen with King Frederick X of Denmark due to “calendar problems”, although finally he will still travel there to participate in other events.
His statements also occur in a pre-election campaign scenario, since Greenland must hold regional elections before mid-April.
Criticism of Trump and the Danish Prime Minister
Trump’s statements and his son’s trip to Greenland have generated criticism in Nuuk and Copenhagen.
“Incredible that some are so naïve to believe that happiness is achieved by becoming American citizens. No, thank you. “I don’t want to be a piece in Trump’s wet dreams of expanding his empire,” wrote today Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz, who belongs to the same party as Egede.
Rasmus Jarlov, one of the heavyweights of the Danish Conservative Party, ironically criticized Trump’s plans and considered it “more realistic” for Denmark to buy a part of USAalluding to the enormous public debt of that country.
The attacks have also been directed at Frederiksen, whom the opposition blames for being lukewarm compared to her reaction when Trump launched a plan to buy Greenland in August 2019 and both became involved in a controversial crossing that culminated in the cancellation of Trump’s visit to the Nordic country..
This Arctic island, of 2 million square kilometers (80% covered by ice) and barely 56 thousand inhabitants, has enjoyed a new status since 2009 that recognizes the right to self-determination.
Although the majority of parties and the population defend separation from Denmark, half of the island’s budget depends on annual aid from Copenhagen and attempts to increase income with its mineral and oil wealth have so far failed. the difficulties and high cost of extraction.
The United States maintains a military base in northern Greenland under a broad defense agreement signed in 1951 between Copenhagen and Washington.
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