Dänemark ist nach Trumps Äußerungen zu Grönland empört

**During a press conference, the president-elect of the United States did not rule out the use of force to seize the autonomous territory. His remarks have sparked strong reactions within the Scandinavian kingdom, a NATO member.**

Followed live by the Danish media, Donald Trump Jr’s visit to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, on Tuesday, January 7, was a brief one. Coming “as a tourist,” the eldest son of the US president-elect stayed barely five hours, just long enough to meet a few local supporters and take a selfie in front of the statue of missionary Hans Egede, founder of Nuuk in 1728 and symbol of the colonization of the world’s largest island by the Kingdom of Denmark.

If this whirlwind visit by Donald Trump Jr annoyed Copenhagen, it was nothing compared to the stupefaction caused by his father’s declarations at a press conference held the same day in West Palm Beach, Florida. Not ruling out taking Greenland by force, the billionaire said, “We don’t even know if Denmark has any legal rights to it, but, if they do, they have to give it up, because we need it for a matter of national security.” If Copenhagen refuses to give in, the president-elect says he is prepared to impose “very high tariffs on Danish products.”

Trump’s interest in this strategic Arctic territory, with its enormous mineral resources, is nothing new. During his first term in office, in August 2019, he announced that he wanted to buy the island, home to 57,000 residents, referring to “essentially a real estate deal.” The Danish prime minister, the Social Democrat Mette Frederiksen, had described the proposal as “absurd,” provoking a diplomatic mini-crisis: Invited by Queen Margrethe II to Copenhagen, Trump canceled his trip at the last minute.

Five and a half years later, in a message published on social media on December 22, 2024, the president-elect revealed that he had not given up on his plans: “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he wrote, before adding on Tuesday: “This is a deal that must happen.” He went on to threaten the Scandinavian kingdom.

**Read the full article here:** [**https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/01/08/denmark-outraged-following-trump-s-statements-on-greenland_6736844_4.html**](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/01/08/denmark-outraged-following-trump-s-statements-on-greenland_6736844_4.html)