Greenland says despite Trump's threats and son's visit, not for sale – National
As Donald Trump continues to talk about taking control of Greenland, his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., traveled to the independent Danish territory on Tuesday – but Greenlandic and Danish officials have made it clear that they want nothing to do with what the Trumps are saying. .
“Don Jr. and my Reps are coming down to Greenland,” Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social, on Tuesday. “The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, power, and PEACE! This is a deal that needs to happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND BEAUTIFUL TOO!”
Donald Trump's post on Truth Social, announcing his son's arrival in Greenland.
Donald Trump / Social Reality
In a statement, Greenland's government said the younger Trump's visit was taking place as a “private person” and not as an official visit, and that Greenlandic representatives would not meet him.
In addition, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday that “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.” The island is “not for sale,” he said, adding that “we need to remain calm and stick to our principles.”
Trump Jr., speaking on a podcast Monday, said he was taking the trip for no political reason, calling it a “personal trip.” However, the visit had political holes.
The president-elect has expressed a desire – which he also expressed during his first presidency – to find a place in the Arctic, an important strategic location for the US, China, Russia and others.
And shortly after his son was involved in Greenland, Trump told a press conference that he would not rule out using military or economic pressure to control Greenland, saying “we need it for national security.”
The largest island in the world, Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and 80 percent of it is covered in ice. This autonomous community has about 56,000 inhabitants, most of whom are of the Inuit people.
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The Prime Minister of Greenland, Múte Egede, has called for independence from Denmark, and said in his New Year's speech that it would be a way for Greenland to be free from its colonial rule. But Egede also said that he is not interested in Greenland becoming part of the US, stressing that the island is not for sale.
Independence has become a key issue ahead of Greenlandic parliamentary elections. The date has not been set, but it should happen before April 6th.
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, told the Associated Press that he does not care about Greenland becoming part of the US and said he feels the same way about his people.
“Most people don't want to,” he said. “I think some people find it disrespectful. And the way it has been done, and the fact that you say you can buy another country.”
Trump is setting his sights on Canada, too
Greenland is not the only place outside the US that Trump has talked about acquiring and making part of the United States; can't stop talking about Canada becoming the 51st state.
In the same press conference on Tuesday where he said that he will not withdraw the military or economic coercion in Greenland, he threatened a similar step with Canada.
When asked by a reporter if he thought the same thing about “uniting and acquiring Canada,” Trump replied, “No – economic power.”
“Canada and the United States, that would be something,” he said. “You remove that unfairly drawn line, and look at what that looks like, and it would be much better for national security.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded shortly after Trump's threat, writing on social media that “there is not a chance in hell that Canada will become part of the United States.”
“Workers and communities in both of our countries benefit from being each other's major trade and security partners,” he added.
Trump also said the US “subsidizes” Canada to the tune of $200 billion in trade and spends billions more on continental defense programs like NORAD than Canada, which he said “doesn't have a military.”
“We don't need their cars, we don't need their timber,” he continued. “We don't need anything they have. We don't need their dairy products.
“We don't need anything. So why are we losing $200 billion a year and more to protect Canada?”
– With files from Global News' Sean Boynton and The Associated Press
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A previous version of this article stated that Greenland is a Dutch country. It has been amended.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
