By Stine Jacobsen and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Donald Trump’s eldest son Donald Jr. arrived in Greenland’s capital Nuuk on a private visit on Tuesday, a day after the U.S. President-elect reiterated his interest in taking control of the island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.
The president-elect, who takes office on Jan. 20, has signalled he would pursue a foreign policy unbound by diplomatic niceties, threatening to take control of the Panama Canal.
Last month he said U.S. control of Greenland was an “absolute necessity” and on Monday he posted on his Truth Social platform: “MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”
“Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation,” he wrote.
Donald Trump Jr. flew in his father’s “Trump Force One” private plane for a visit expected to last 4-5 hours. No meetings were scheduled with government officials on the island, which has a population of just 57,000.
“Greenland coming in hot … Well, actually, really really cold!!!!,” Trump Jr. said in a post on X along with a video from the cockpit as the plane prepared to land between snow-covered mountains.
“We’re really happy to be here. We’re here as tourists to see this incredible place,” he told local broadcaster KNR upon arrival, adding that he had originally planned to visit last spring. He said he had spoken to his father, “and he says hello to everyone in Greenland”.
In 2019, Trump postponed a scheduled visit to Denmark after Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rebuffed his idea of the U.S. purchasing Greenland, which was a Danish colony until 1953 and is now a semi-sovereign territory under the Danish realm.
Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede has stated that the island is not for sale and in his New Year speech stepped up a push for independence.
“Our future and fight for independence is our business,” Egede said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“While others, including Danes and Americans, are entitled to their opinions, we should not be caught up in the hysteria and let external pressures distract us from our path.”
Denmark, a NATO ally, has seen relations with Greenland worsen in recent years, prompted by allegations of historic mistreatment of residents under Danish rule.
On Monday, Egede postponed a meeting with Denmark’s King Frederik scheduled to take place in Copenhagen on Wednesday. No reason was given for the postponement.
Frederiksen told broadcaster TV2 on Tuesday: “We need very close cooperation with the Americans.
“On the other hand, I would like to encourage everyone to respect that the Greenlanders are a people, it is their country, and only Greenland can determine and define Greenland’s future.”
Greenland straddles the shortest route between Europe and North America and is strategically important for the U.S. military and its ballistic missile early-warning system.
It boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth, but development has been slow, leaving its economy reliant on fishing and subsidies from Denmark.
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, said a U.S. takeover should be rejected.
“I don’t want to be a pawn in Trump’s hot dreams of expanding his empire to include our country,” she wrote.
(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Alexandra Ulmer; editing by Sandra Maler, Bernadette Baum, Peter Graff and Mark Heinrich)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.