As Donald Trump continues to talk about taking control of Greenland, his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., traveled to the autonomous Dutch territory on Tuesday, but Greenlandic and Danish officials are making it clear they want nothing to do with what they propose. the Trumps. .
“Don Jr. and my representatives land in Greenland,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Tuesday. “The reception has been great. They and the Free World need safety, security, strength and PEACE! This is an agreement that must be finalized. MAGA. LET'S MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”
Post by Donald Trump in Truth Social, announcing the arrival of his son to Greenland.
Donald Trump / Social Truth
In a statement, the Greenland government said that the younger Trump's visit was being made “as a private individual” and not as an official visit, and that Greenlandic representatives would not meet him.
Additionally, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday that “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.” He The island “is not for sale” he said, adding that “we must remain calm and stick to our principles.”
Trump Jr., speaking on a podcast Monday, said he would make the trip without any political motivation and called it a “personal day trip.” The visit, however, had political connotations.
The president-elect has expressed his desire, also expressed during his first presidency, to acquire territory in the Arctic, an area of strategic importance to the United States, China, Russia and others.
And shortly after his son landed in Greenland, Trump said at a news conference that he did not Rule out the use of military force or economic coercion. take control of Greenland, saying “we need it for national security.”
Greenland, the world's largest island, lies between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and 80 percent of it is covered by a sheet of ice. The autonomous territory has about 56,000 inhabitants, most of them indigenous Inuit.
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Greenland's Prime Minister Múte Egede has called for independence from Denmark, saying in a New Year's speech that it would be a way for Greenland to free itself from its colonial past. But Egede has also said he has no interest in Greenland becoming part of the United States, insisting the island is not for sale.
Independence has become a key issue ahead of elections for the Greenlandic parliament. No date has been set, but it should take place no later than April 6.
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, told The Associated Press that she has There is no interest in Greenland becoming part of the US. and said he hears the same sentiment from his constituents.
“Most people don't want it,” he said. “I think some people find it quite disrespectful. And the way it's been done, and just the fact that you're saying you can buy another country.”
Trump also sets his sights on Canada
Greenland is not the only place outside the United States that Trump has talked about acquiring and becoming part of the United States; can't stop talking about Canada becoming the 51st state.
At the same Tuesday news conference in which he said he would not rule out military force or economic coercion in Greenland, he threatened similar actions against Canada.
When asked by a reporter if he was considering the same thing to “annex and acquire Canada,” Trump responded: “No, economic force.”
“Canada and the United States, that would really be a big deal,” he said. “If we get rid of that artificially drawn line and see what it looks like, it would be much better for national security as well.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded shortly after Trump's threat, writing on social media “It's not a snowball's chance in hell. that Canada would become part of the United States.”
“Workers and communities in our two countries benefit from being each other's largest trade and security partners,” he added.
Trump repeatedly claimed that the United States “subsidizes” Canada to the tune of $200 billion in trade and spends billions more on continental defense programs like NORAD than Canada, who he said “essentially does not have a military.” .
“We don't need your cars, we don't need your wood,” he continued. “We don't need anything they have. We don't need your 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
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