Donald Trump Jr plans to visit Greenland, two weeks after his father repeated his desire for the United States to take control of the island, a self-governing Danish territory.
The US president-elect’s son plans to record video footage for a podcast during his private day-long visit, US media reports.
Donald Trump reignited the controversy in December when he declared that “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for US national security.
He had already expressed interest in purchasing the Arctic territory during his first term as president. Trump was rebuffed by Greenlandic leaders twice.
“We are not for sale and we will not be for sale,” the island’s Prime Minister, Mute Egede, said in December. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people.”
Greenland lies on the shortest route between North America and Europe, making it strategically important to the United States. It is also home to a major US space facility.
The president-elect’s eldest son played a key role in the 2024 US election campaign, appearing frequently at rallies and in the media.
But he will not travel to Greenland on behalf of his father’s new administration, according to the Danish Foreign Ministry.
“We have taken note of Donald Trump Jr’s planned visit to Greenland. As this is not an official US visit, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no further comment on this visit,” said the ministry to BBC News.
Hours after President-elect Trump’s last intervention, the Danish government announced a Huge increase in Greenland’s defense spending. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen called the timing of the announcement “an irony.”
On Monday, King Frederik
Some see it as a rebuke to Trump, but it could also prove controversial within the Greenland separatist movement.
King Frederik used his New Year’s speech to say the Kingdom of Denmark was united “all the way to Greenland”, adding “we are together”.
But Greenland’s prime minister used his own New Year’s speech to promote independence from Denmark, saying the island must free itself from the “shackles of colonialism”.
Trump is not the first US president to suggest buying Greenland. The idea was first mooted by the country’s 17th president, Andrew Johnson, in the 1860s.
Furthermore, in recent weeks, Trump has threatened to regain control of the Panama Canalone of the most important waterways in the world. He accused Panama of charging excessive fees for access.
The Panamanian president responded by declaring that “every square meter” of the canal and its surroundings belonged to his country.
