Danish PM says Greenland ‘not for sale’ as Donald Trump Jr visits island
No Greenlandic or Danish officials are expected to meet with the younger Trump because his Tuesday visit to the sprawling Arctic island was not authorized.
However, rumors that the president-elect would try to buy Greenland when he takes office on January 20 have remained unfounded despite the trip.
Late on Monday, Trump added more cred to the rumor to his Truth Social account.
“I am hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘ MAGA'”, Trump wrote, referring to the Make America Great Again movement. “My son, Don Jr, and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights”.
“Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our nation”, Trump added. “We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside world. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN”!
Mute Egede, the prime minister of Greenland, claims that the island needs to shed its colonial past for good. In 1721, the island was given a colony by Denmark, and it became a sovereign island in 1953.
As more Danish colonial abuses of the predominately Inuit population have been exposed in recent years, the independence movement has grown.
However, Egede has previously opposed a US membership for Greenland.  , In a statement, Greenland’s government confirmed Trump Jr’s visit would take place “as a private individual”.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders”. The island is “not for sale,” she added.
For his part, Trump Jr, speaking on a podcast on Monday, also denied his visit had any political motive.
“No, I am not buying Greenland”, the younger Trump said. “Funny enough, I’m actually going on a very long personal day trip to Greenland”.
Absolute necessity
Prior to his first term as president, Trump had previously suggested purchasing Greenland from 2017 to 2021. He even delayed a visit to Denmark in 2019 after Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen objected.
The president-elect has indicated that this time around, he will approach foreign policy with a similar disruptive approach. That includes efforts to expand the US reach, even as he has espoused isolationism.
In December, Trump said US control of Greenland was an “absolute necessity”.
A sizable US military base is located on the island, which is regarded as strategically important as China and Russia compete for control of the Arctic.
Trump also threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal from Panama in that month, citing the importance of the trade route’s cross-Cemafro-centricity. In accordance with a 1977 treaty signed by the late President Jimmy Carter, Washington gave up control of the waterway in 1999.
Source: Aljazeera
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