Donald Trump Jr travelled to Greenland on Monday amid his father’s renewed interest in “ownership” of the island, and days after the leader of the autonomous territory of Denmark issued a push for independence.
The head of Greenland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Mininnguaq Kleist, told Danish public radio DR that Trump Jr’s visit is in a private capacity, and there have been no inquiries about a meeting with the Greenland government.
But a source in Greenlandic politics told Euractiv that Trump Jr will meet with the head of the social democratic party, Erik Jensen. Jensen is minister for finance and tax in the Greenlandic government.
The office of the Greenlandic premier, Múte Egede, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Egede’s official calendar does not show any meetings with Trump Jr, but the source said a meeting between the two was possible.
A spokesperson for the Danish ministry of foreign affairs told Euractiv: “This is not an official US visit.”
Egede has strengthened his rhetoric on independence from Denmark in recent days. In his annual New Year speech, he said Greenland must work to “remove the obstacles to cooperation” with other countries, “which we can describe as the shackles of colonialism”.
A member of Egede’s party and Greenlandic member of the Danish Parliament, Aaja Chemnitz, adressed the visit on social media, writing “we need to get better at” saying no to Donald Trump. “I don’t want to be a pawn in Trump’s hot dreams of expanding his empire to include our country.”
Since his re-election, US President-elect Donald Trump has expressed his wish for “ownership and control” of Greenland.
Greenland’s government has twice rejected offers by Trump to purchase the island, in 2019 and again last year, with Egede asserting that “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale.”
Despite the wealth of minerals, oil, and natural gas resources, Greenland’s economy remains fragile, heavily dependent on fishing and annual grants from Denmark.
[Edited by Owen Morgan]
