Danes ‘outraged’ at revived Trump Greenland push

Lousiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) and President Donald Trump

(Image credit: Samuel Corum / Sipa / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

What happened

President Donald Trump yesterday revived his early-term campaign to take control of Greenland, a self-ruling territory of NATO ally Denmark. Trump has publicly coveted the large Arctic island’s mineral wealth, but “we need Greenland for national security, not for minerals,” he told reporters yesterday. “We have to have it,” he added, and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) will “lead the charge.”

Who said what

Trump unexpectedly named Landry as his “special envoy to Greenland” on Sunday. Landry said on social media yesterday he would work to “make Greenland a part of the U.S.” in his new “volunteer position,” which “in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!”

It’s illegal to “annex another country,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a joint statement. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, and the U.S. shall not take over Greenland.”

Trump’s fixation on Greenland “gradually drifted out of the headlines” following his initial push, The Associated Press said. But Danish officials protested in August after “at least three people with connections to Trump” reportedly “carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.” And earlier this month, the Danish Defense Intelligence Service assessed that the U.S. was using its economic power to “assert its will” and threaten military force against both friends and foes.

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What next?

Opinion polls in Greenland “show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US,” the BBC said. And Trump’s refusal to “rule out using force to secure control of the island” has “shocked Denmark.” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told local media yesterday he was “deeply outraged” by the developments and would summon U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Ken Howery for an explanation.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.