Greenland’s leaders have responded more than once to Trump’s continuous hints at plans to annex the territory and make it under US rule.
Trump met with NATO Secretary General
In his meeting on Thursday 13 March with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump reiterated his desire to claim Greenland under US power.
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He wants it for ‘a lot of reasons’
Trump told Rutte he was the person who ‘could be very instrumental’ in his plans of taking Greenland. “You know, Mark, we need [Greenland] for international security, not just security – international. That whole area is becoming very important, and for a lot of reasons,” he said.
He also added, “The routes are very direct to Asia, to Russia, and you have ships all over the place and we have to have protection, so we’re going to have to make a deal on that.”
Rute didn’t like the suggestion
Rutte dismissed the idea of the US taking Greenland, saying, “I don’t want to drag NATO into that.”
But the US President then made an incorrect comment on the island’s historical roots, which Greenlanders found offensive.
Greenland is under the governance of Denmark
Greenland has been politically governed by the Kingdom of Denmark since 1953, but is semi-autonomous.
However, Trump suggested that Denmark ‘has nothing to do’ with Greenland, saying, “What, a boat landed there 200 years ago or something and they say they have rights to it?”
“I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t think it is actually,” he said.
People didn’t like what he said
Greenland leaders and online users didn’t like the claims he made about the island.
“Enough is enough,” wrote Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede on Facebook. “The American president has once again ventured the idea of annexing us. I can’t accept that. We need to tighten our rejection of Trump. Don’t keep treating us with disrespect.”
The likely next prime minister reiterated Egede’s words
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who is likely to be the next prime minister of the island, agreed with Egede, stating, “[It] just shows once again that we must stand together in such situations.”
As reported by NBC News, all candidates for next prime minister in Greenland have stated that they’re against the US taking over Greenland.
Egede had responded to Trump before
The American president seems keen on claiming the territory, as he has expressed this desire more than once before, telling Congress on 4 March that he will ‘get it, one way or the other’.
Egede also firmly responded to the expression at the time, saying, “We do not wish to be Americans. Greenland is ours.”
