Tag: denmark

One of my favorite places on Earth, Greenland, has suddenly become the center of worldwide attention as US President Donald Trump reiterated his 2019 proposal that the US should do whatever it takes to acquire Greenland from Denmark.  Trump’s interest stems from Greenland’s strategic location between the US and Russia, its large untapped deposits of oil, uranium, and rare earth minerals, and its control over Arctic trade routes, particularly the Northwest Passage, which is becoming increasingly navigable as Arctic sea ice disappears.

Trump’s 2019  attempt to buy Greenland outright (or even to trade Puerto Rico for it) was widely dismissed as a joke in both Washington and Copenhagen, but Trump clearly hasn’t let go of the idea, leading House Republican Andy Ogles to introduce the “Make Greenland Great Again Act.”

This renewed geopolitical focus on Greenland is deeply personal. As a human geneticist focused on the study of small, isolated populations, I have spent years researching the relationships between genetics, environment and health in Arctic populations. My experiences in the Arctic, as well as my ability to speak Kalaallisut, has given me insight into how Greenlanders themselves view their place in the world – perspectives often missing from outside analyses.

Because of my familiarity with the region, I knew immediately that Trump’s proposal would provoke a strong reaction in Greenland, where political leaders and everyday people alike see independence, not recolonization by the US, as their future. Múte B. Egede, the head of Greenland’s government Cabinet of Ministers, the Naalakkersuisut, was blunt: “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders. We are not and will never be for sale.” But he also acknowledged that Greenland’s economic future must involve more international partners, saying, “We remain open to cooperation and trade with our international partners… Not everything can be through Denmark.”

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“Today was January 7, 2025. The day when Denmark learned that we can no longer trust the United States. I will NEVER forget that day.”

So wrote political commentator, right-wing influencer Jarl Cordua on social media. This statement reflects what Denmark’s mass media are communicating in their editorials, and quoting influencers and experts on the U.S.-Denmark relationship—a new paradigm totally unexpected is taking place.

In Donald Trump’s second news conference since his election, he said that the U.S. needed Greenland—and the Panama Canal—for “economic security,” for “national security” and to “protect the Free World.”

When a journalist asked if could rule out use economic or military force to acquire them, he replied: “No I can’t assure you on either of those two.”

Trump further stated that, if Denmark resists his offer to purchase Greenland, he would impose tariffs on some of Denmark’s exports.

On the same day, Trump Jr. flew in his father’s private plane for a five-hour greeting to Greenlanders, some of whom were wearing red MAGA hats. “Red” does not stand for communism, rather anti-communist-socialist-social democrat Republicans.

Following his son’s visit, Trump Sr. said, “The reception has been great.” He continued, “Greenland and the Free World need safety, security, strength, and peace!” “Make Greenland great again!” he added.

January 7: Immediately upon hearing what Trump said, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen met with her coalition government for hours. When she, and Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen (former PM for the rightest “Liberal” party), spoke to the media, her first words were:

“We have close relations with Greenland, Faroe Islands, EU, NATO, USA. We are prepared for the new president. We don’t think anything concrete will happen until Trump takes office. We don’t believe it will lead to such developments. We are USA’s closest ally, and other things are important too, such as our defense of Greenland. We are also a great contributor to NATO and Ukraine.”

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NATO member Denmark spent the last four years single-mindedly worried about the Russian danger, but was surprised by the territorial ambitions by the fest-moving US President Donald J. Trump.

After a telephone call between Trump and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, it has now been reported that the Danish Kingdom is in ‘crisis mode’ after Trump made a direct play for Greenland in a conversation being branded as ‘horrendous’.

The Telegraph reported:

“The US president spoke to Mette Frederiksen, the Danish premier, for 45 minutes last week and made clear he wanted to place Greenland under American control.”

Greenland is an autonomous Arctic territory owned by Denmark since 1814. But now, Trump wants it as a ‘valuable asset’ in the US’s competition against Russia and China.

“Ms. Frederiksen told him in their call last week that despite his ‘big interest’, Greenland was not for sale, the Financial Times reported. Mr. Trump then became ‘aggressive’, according to the newspaper, and threatened to impose tariffs on Denmark unless Greenland was sold to the US.”

Trump refused to rule out using military force to take Greenland, calling it a matter of ‘national security’ to own that Arctic base.

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The Wall Street Journal reports Trump’s Talk of Buying Greenland Energizes Island’s Independence Movement

Greenland is a self-ruling part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Danish government says it is willing to grant Greenland full independence if there is local support, and recent Greenlandic elections and polls indicate there is.

Trump’s recent threat of a trade war with Denmark is changing the negotiating dynamic, says Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. The Danish government now might be more open to agreeing a divorce deal that includes some continued payments to ease Greenland’s path to independence, he says. “My prognosis is that the Danish government will accept it in the next few years,” he says. An independent Greenland would then be free to forge its own security or economic ties with the U.S., Denmark or anyone else.

In April, Greenland goes to the polls in a vote that could fire the starter gun on independence for the territory of 57,000 people. The last time elections were held, pro-independence parties got 80% of the vote.

The prime minister of Greenland made a New Year’s address to the nation saying that a draft constitution for the country has been prepared and that the independence process should be triggered.

“It is now time to take the next step for our country,” Múte Egede said. “Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation—which we can describe as the shackles of the colonial era—and move on.” 

A 2009 Danish law lays out how Greenland can take the first step in the process: It must notify the Danish government, the two must negotiate a divorce agreement and the deal must then be ratified by a referendum in Greenland. The Greenlandic government has commissioned legal experts to work out the details of how step one would work with a two- year deadline.

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