Trump says he canceled Denmark trip because the prime minister calling his idea of buying Greenland 'absurd' was 'very not nice'
President Trump on Wednesday said that he suddenly called off a planned trip to Denmark after finding the prime minister's comment dismissing his interest in purchasing Greenland "nasty" and "very not nice."
Trump on Tuesday night tweeted that he would be postponing a trip to Denmark in response to its prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, laughing off the idea of him wanting to buy Greenland, a notion she called "absurd." The president directly attributed his cancelation of the trip to this rejection, saying the prime minister was "able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct."
But Trump went further on Wednesday by saying he called the trip off specifically because her comment was "nasty."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"All she had to do is say, 'no, we wouldn't be interested,'" Trump said. "I thought it was a very not nice way of saying something." He added, "You don't talk to the United States that way, at least under me."
Trump referring to comments he doesn't like at "nasty" is a favorite response of his, having earlier this year called Meghan Markle "nasty" for statements she made critical of him, only to deny having done so.
Trump's decision to suddenly cancel his trip his idea to buy Greenland, which he argued on Wednesday is still a "good idea," has not gone over well in Denmark, where politicians have been putting the president on blast and calling him a "spoiled child." Brendan Morrow
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Europe’s apples are peppered with toxic pesticidesUnder the Radar Campaign groups say existing EU regulations don’t account for risk of ‘cocktail effect’
-
Political cartoons for February 1Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Tom Homan's offer, the Fox News filter, and more
-
Will SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic make 2026 the year of mega tech listings?In Depth SpaceX float may come as soon as this year, and would be the largest IPO in history
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
