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A member of Greenland’s parliament said the visit by Donald Trump Jr. on the island this week was “arranged” to make it appear that Greenlanders supported the incoming president as rhetoric about the takeover of the autonomous Danish territory increased.
“No journalists were allowed to interview him,” said Pipaluk Lynge, an MP from Greenland’s largest party and chairman of the parliament’s foreign and security policy committee. he told Politico. “It was all staged to make it seem like we Greenlanders were MAGA and we like to be part of the USA.”
He noted that Greenland wants “our own independence and democracy.”
A source familiar with Trump Jr.’s visit. said President-elect Trump’s son had visited Greenland “to record funny video content for podcasts” and had no plans to meet with government officials while there.
Lynge said many citizens did not seem to give Trump Jr. a warm welcome.
“People were curious, but some took pictures of him giving (the) finger at the airport… Some wrote on Facebook: Yankee, go home,” he told Politico.
Local media informed that Trump Jr.’s team handed out “Make America Great Again” hats during his visit.
The Hill has reached out to Trump Jr. to make comments. A spokesperson called Lynge’s criticism “ridiculous” in a comment to Politico.
Trump recently revived his ambitions to buy Greenland in a social media post announcing Ken Howery as his nominee to serve as ambassador to Denmark.
“For purposes of national security and freedom around the world, the United States of America considers ownership and control of Greenland an absolute necessity,” he said in a statement on Dec. 23.
This week, he refused to rule out the use of economic or military force to take control of Greenland, arguing that it is a national security imperative.
“We know how the Inuit are treated in Alaska,” Lynge said. “Make it cool before you try to invade us.”
Lynge was referring to Alaska Natives, who share ancestry with Greenlandic Inuit and have faced a history of discrimination and disparities, including segregation seen in US government-run boarding schools until the 1960s.
Greenland has historically been a territory controlled by Denmark. However, in 1979, it gained self-government and gained semi-independence status in 2009, with the Danish government only controlling defence, security and foreign policy.
While the leaders of Greenland and Denmark have made statements opposing U.S. control, Trump’s calls have highlighted Greenland’s push for full independence.
