itstargetnews
As Donald Trump continues to talk about takes control of Greenlandhis eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.traveled to the autonomous Dutch territory on Tuesday — but Greenlandic and Danish officials make it clear they want nothing to do with what the Trumps propose.
“Don Jr. and my representatives are landing in Greenland,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Tuesday. “The reception was excellent. They and the Free World need safety, security, strength and PEACE! This is a deal that has to happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”
Donald Trump’s Truth Social post announcing his son’s arrival in Greenland.
Donald Trump / Truth Social
In a statement, the Greenlandic government said the younger Trump’s visit was being conducted “as a private individual” and not as an official visit, and that representatives of Greenland would not meet him.
Furthermore, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated on Tuesday that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders”. The island “not for sale”, she said, adding that “we must remain calm and stick to our principles.”
Trump Jr., speaking on a podcast Monday, said he was traveling without any political motivations, calling it a “personal day trip.” The visit still had a political undertone.
The president-elect has expressed a desire – also expressed during his first term – to gain territory in the Arctic, an area of strategic importance to the US, China, Russia and others.
Shortly after his son landed in Greenland, Trump said at a press conference that he would not exclude the use of military force or economic coercion to take control of Greenland, saying that “we need it for national security”.
The largest island in the world, Greenland, is located between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and 80 percent of it is covered by an ice sheet. The autonomous territory has about 56,000 inhabitants, most of whom are indigenous Inuit.
Get daily national news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede has called for independence from Denmark, saying in a New Year’s speech that it would be a way to free Greenland from its colonial past. But Egede also said he has no interest in Greenland becoming part of the US, insisting the island is not for sale.
Independence has become a key issue ahead of elections for the Greenlandic parliament. The date has not been set, but it must take place no later than April 6.
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, told the Associated Press that there is no interest in Greenland becoming part of the USA and said she hears the same sentiment from her constituents.
“Most people don’t want to,” she said. “I think some people find that quite disrespectful. And the way it was done, and the very fact that you say you can buy another country.”
Trump also took a look at Canada
Greenland is not the only place outside the US that Trump has talked about taking over and annexing to the United States; can’t stop talking about Canada becomes the 51st country.
At the same press conference on Tuesday, where he said he would not rule out military force or economic coercion on Greenland, threatened similar action against Canada.
When asked by a reporter if he was thinking about “annexing and acquiring Canada,” Trump replied, “No — economic power.”
“Canada and the United States, that would really be something,” he said. “Get rid of that artificially drawn line and see what that looks like, and that would also be much better for national security.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded shortly after Trump’s threat, writing on social media “not a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada will become part of the United States.”
“Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s largest trade and security partners,” he added.
Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. “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 has “essentially no military.”
“We don’t need their cars, we don’t need their stuff,” he continued. “Me they 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 Sean Boynton of Global News and The Associated Press
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
