Donald Trump Jr. landed in Greenland on Tuesday for a private visit that sparked further speculation that President-elect Donald Trump was rekindling his previous plans to take control of Denmark’s mineral-rich island, which sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.
Trump Jr. arrived in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital and home to some 57,000 residents, on Tuesday morning, where he spent at least five hours.
Mininguaq Kleist, permanent secretary for Greenland’s foreign affairs department, told The Associated Press that authorities were informed that Trump Jr. was visiting "as a private individual" and that no official meetings were planned.
Greenland, which gained its home rule from Denmark in 1979, is an autonomous territory that is part of Denmark.
Dad Announces Visit On Social Media
President-elect Trump let the world know that his son was heading to Greenland in a Monday Truth Social post in which he vowed that the U.S. would protect Greenland from the "vicious outside World" and that the people there "will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation."
On Tuesday, Trump weighed in again with an update, encouraging his son to get the deal done. "The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”
Why Greenland?
Trump had expressed a desire to acquire Greenland, an area of strategic importance for the U.S., China and Russia, during his first term in office.
Greenland, the world's largest island, spans over 800,000 square miles and is 80% covered by an ice sheet. According to the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the island has significant potential for oil reserves as well as a variety of valuable minerals, rare earth metals, precious metals and stones, coal, copper, graphite and uranium. It also hosts a large U.S. military base.
Denmark, What Say You?
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday in response to Don Jr's visit that Greenland is not for sale.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede, reported Politico.eu, said Frederiksen, "has been very, very clear … that there is a lot of support among the people of Greenland that Greenland is not for sale and will not be in the future either."
Frederiksen, however, told Danish TV 2 in a Tuesday interview, per the outlet, that she was happy about the rise in US interest in Greenland. "But of course it is important that it takes place in a way where it is the Greenlanders' decision, what their future holds."
Read Next:
- Meta Drops Fact-Checking For Community Notes: Zuckerberg Sees ‘Opportunity To Restore Free Expression’
Photo: Polar Media/Shutterstock.com
