Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede made headlines during his New Year’s speech where he advocated independence from Denmark, a decision that many are connecting directly to the “Donald Trump effect.”
Egede voiced a strong desire for Greenland to select its future and break free from what he characterised as the “shackles of colonialism” imposed by Denmark.
Following remarks made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has once again called for the United States to acquire Greenland, there is a drive for statehood.
“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 remarked of Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede.
Frederiksen asserted again that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders,” five years after snubbing Trump’s Arctic desires.
The Trump Association
Trump has already expressed interest in Greenland. During his first administration, he famously proposed purchasing the Arctic island, a suggestion that was sharply criticised by both Danish and Greenlandic officials.
But his recent assertion that “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for both global freedom and national security has rekindled the question:
Who owns Greenland?
Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s eldest son, arrived in Greenland Tuesday on what he described as a private visit. But among his group were the elder Trump’s personnel director, Sergio Gor, and fiery conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland. 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!” Trump posted on his social media account, Truth Social, on Tuesday.
“On one hand, I am pleased regarding the rise in American interest in Greenland,” Frederiksen said in an interview Tuesday with Danish broadcaster TV 2. “But of course, it is important that it takes place in a way where it is the Greenlanders’ decision, what their future holds.”
With a population of about 60,000, Greenland is the largest island in the world. Until 1979, it was a Danish colony, but in 1979, it gained independence and its parliament. It is still a part of Denmark, and Copenhagen still has authority over its defence and foreign affairs.
Mineral-rich Greenland, home to a U.S. military post, is sought after for its strategic importance in trade and security as major powers look to increase their presence and influence in the Arctic.
In 2019, Frederiksen referred to Trump’s attempt to buy the island as “absurd,” saying that Greenlanders should make their own decisions and that the country’s burgeoning independence movement was “legitimate.”
“I can notice a strong wish amongst many Greenlanders to move toward independence,” she said. “It is legitimate, and therefore I think that it is important that Greenland’s future is shaped in [the Greenlandic capital] Nuuk.”
Following a 2009 pact with Denmark, Greenland can only declare its independence via a successful referendum, which its leader Egede seemed to allude to in his New Year’s speech. The vote may take place concurrently with the island’s April parliamentary election.