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Danish PM says Greenland ‘not for sale’ as Donald Trump Jr visits island | Donald Trump News

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Before his son’s ‘private’ visit, President-elect Donald Trump again says he wants Greenland to ‘become part of’ the US.

Donald Trump Jr has arrived in Greenland for a “private” visit, as his father President-elect Donald Trump reiterates his desire to make the autonomous Danish territory part of the United States.

Since the younger Trump’s visit to the sprawling Arctic island on Tuesday was not official, he is not expected to meet with any Greenlandic or Danish officials.

But the trip has nevertheless sparked speculation that the president-elect would make a push to buy Greenland when he takes office on January 20.

Trump further fuelled the conjecture late Monday on 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!”

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has called for independence from Denmark, saying the island needs to free itself from its colonial past. The island was made a colony of Denmark in 1721 and became an autonomous dependent territory in 1953.

The independence movement has grown as more Danish colonial abuses against the predominantly Inuit population have come to light in recent years.

However, Egede has previously ruled out Greenland becoming part of the US. 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”. She added the island is “not for sale”.

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’

Trump had previously floated buying Greenland during his first term as president from 2017 to 2021, even postponing a 2019 visit to Denmark after Prime Minister Frederiksen rebuffed the idea.

The president-elect has signalled he plans to take a similarly disruptive approach to foreign policy this time around. 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”.

The island is home to a large US military base and is considered strategically important as geopolitical rivals like China and Russia jockey for control of the Arctic.

That month, Trump also threatened to take back control of the Panama Canal from Panama, citing the strategic significance of the trade route that cuts across Central America. Washington relinquished control of the waterway in 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by the late President Jimmy Carter.

Panama President Jose Raul Mulino swiftly shot back that the canal “is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians”, ruling out any talks with the Trump administration on the matter.



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