CNN
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Donald Trump Jr. is expected to visit Greenland on Tuesday, just weeks after his father, US President-elect Donald Trump, ruffled feathers by reiterating his desire to obtain control over the autonomous Danish territory.
In a Truth Social post Monday, the president-elect confirmed his son would be traveling to the island along with “various representatives” to “visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights” and again expressed his interest in taking over the vast Arctic territory.
“I am hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA’,” he said in the post, referring to his slogan of “Make America Great Again.”
“Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside world. Make Greenland Great Again!” he posted.
Earlier Monday, Denmark’s foreign ministry told CNN it had “noted” the trip but would not be commenting further as it was “not an official American visit.”
The ministry’s comment came after Reuters reported the island’s permanent secretary for foreign affairs Mininnguaq Kleist as saying the trip was a “private visit.” It also quoted a source as saying the trip was a one-day visit to shoot video footage for a podcast.
CNN has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.
The US president-elect last month made headlines when he resurfaced his desire to obtain the territory, calling it an “absolute necessity” for “purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world.”
He previously floated the idea of purchasing Greenland from Denmark in his first term as president, but the idea was shot down by the island’s government, which said at the time that it was “not for sale.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede responded to the US president-elect’s comments in December on Facebook, by reiterating that the island was “not for sale and will never be for sale,” while the office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen – who called Trump’s first-term suggestion that Greenland could be purchased “absurd” – echoed Egede.
“As far as statements about Greenland, the Prime Minister’s Office has no comments other than reference to what was stated by the premier of Greenland about Greenland not being for sale, but open for cooperation,” the office added.
Trump is not the first American leader to have expressed an interest in controlling Greenland, which is home to Thule Air Base, the US military’s northernmost base, located about 750 miles above the Arctic Circle and built in 1951.
Though President Harry Truman dodged questions about his pursuit of control in the region, the United States allegedly tried to buy Greenland in 1946, and in 1867, Secretary of State William Seward showed interest in purchasing the island.
According to Reuters, Greenland’s prime minister stepped up a push for independence from Denmark in his recent new year’s speech, saying it should break free from “the shackles of colonialism.”
Egede did not, however, mention the United States.
Additional reporting by Steve Contorno, Katherine Sullivan, Pamela Brown, Jim Acosta and Caroline Kelly
