Debate about Greenland: Donald Trump sends his son to the island

Donald Trump has already shown in his first term in office that he is interested in Greenland.

Even back then he had the idea of ​​buying the largest island in the world. An idea that was nonchalantly rejected by the Greenlandic and Danish authorities.

But even before Trump’s second term in office, which begins on January 20th, the future US president is reaffirming his idea of ​​a Greenland that belongs to the USA – and this time he seems to be serious about it.

His son Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to travel to Greenland on Tuesday. The senior confirmed this on his own social network Truth Social. According to media reports, he is expected in the capital Nuuk. This is a top topic in the Danish media on Tuesday morning.

“I’ve heard that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA’. My son Don Jr. and various representatives will be traveling there to visit some of the greatest areas and sights. Greenland is an incredible place and the people will benefit tremendously from it “If and when it becomes part of our nation, we will protect it and protect it from a very vicious outside world.”

At the end of his post, Trump writes in capital letters: “MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN” – make Greenland great again.

According to Danish Radio, it was a private visit. Meetings with the Greenlandic government are not planned.

Trump’s post also features a video in which a man wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat is asked by a woman what he would say to the future US president.

“Buy us,” the man replies. “We don’t want to be colonized by the Danish government anymore.” He loves the USA.

How and under what circumstances the video was created is unclear. However, a journalist from Greenland’s Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (KNR) reported on Network X on Monday that “two nice young ladies wearing MAGA and Trump hats were out and about in Nuuk” to “work behind the scenes.” According to the journalist, they asked residents about their attitude towards the USA. Other fellow travelers should follow.

The US billionaire and close Trump confidant Elon Musk also commented on his network: “The Greenlanders should decide about their future and I think they want to be part of America!”

There has so far been no reaction from the government in Copenhagen to Trump’s or Musk’s statements or to Trump Jr.’s trip.

However, Aaja Chemnitz, Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament in Copenhagen, responded and made it clear that she did not want to be part of Trump’s dreams.

“It’s unbelievable that some people can be so naive as to believe that our happiness lies in becoming American citizens,” she wrote in her post. She hopes that common sense will prevail.

Greenland, with around 56,000 inhabitants, belongs to the Kingdom of Denmark and is largely autonomous. It has its own government.

Due to its location between Europe and the American mainland as well as its proximity to the Arctic and Russia, the island, which is about six times the size of Germany, is of strategic importance. The important US military base Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) is also located in the north of the island. In addition, valuable mineral resources are suspected beneath the Greenland ice.

The Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte B. Egede had reiterated the desire for independence in his: “Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation, which we can describe as colonial shackles, and to move forward.”

Greenland’s autonomy law, the Selvstyreloven, stipulates that the decision on Greenland’s independence will be made by the Greenlandic people. Independence must be confirmed by a referendum in Greenland. The procedure stipulates that the Greenlandic and Danish parliaments must approve an agreement on independence.

However, independence is controversial. Greenland’s economy, which relies heavily on fishing, remains financially dependent on Denmark. There are also concerns about the relationship between the country’s size and its small population. There are fears that this could make it more difficult to build a functioning state.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen emphasized in December that Denmark cannot police Greenland’s vast territory alone. “There are no concrete plans, but we will work with the US,” said Poulsen.