This week, Second Lady Usha Vance, and a Trump delegation that includes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, are going to Greenland, according to a White House statement. Why? Well, if you were to believe this administration, to “celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity.” If you ask the Prime Minister of Greenland, however, an invitation to partake in said culture and unity seems pretty unlikely.
In an interview published in Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq on Sunday, Greenland Prime Minister Mute B. Egede called the U.S. trip “highly aggressive” and questioned why Waltz would even be joining.
“What is the national security adviser doing in Greenland? The only purpose is to demonstrate power over us,” Egede told the newspaper. “His mere presence in Greenland will no doubt fuel American belief in Trump’s mission—and the pressure will increase.”
Meanwhile, the White House postured as if Vance’s purpose is simply for fun, claiming the Second Lady is traveling with her son “to visit historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage, and attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race.”
“Ms. Vance and the delegation are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity,” the statement said.
Trump has made his hopes for Greenland (read: U.S. annexation) pretty plain since taking office—Donald Trump Jr. even privately visited the island in January. In his speech to Congress earlier this month, Trump said, “I think we’re going to get it one way or the other” and insisted that Greenland was “calling us.” According to him, control of the territory (which happens to be rife with oil, gas, and rare earth minerals used for high-tech industries) is a vital next step in enhancing international security. In a meeting at the White House on March 14, Trump told NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that “we have a lot of our favorite players cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful.”
More recently, on Monday, Trump said he thought “Greenland is going to be something that maybe is in our future,” after news of Vance and Waltz’s visit drew criticism from Egede and other officials from Greenland and Denmark. Vice President Vance, too, has recently implied the U.S. could take the territory by force and criticized Denmark for “not doing its job” and “not being a good ally” to the U.S.
“So you have to ask yourself: How are we going to solve that problem, solve our own national security?” Vance said on Fox News. “If that means that we need to take more territorial interest in Greenland, that is what President Trump is going to do, because he doesn’t care about what the Europeans scream at us.”
It’s worth noting that a January poll, commissioned by Danish and Greenlandic newspapers, reported that 85% of Greenlanders were opposed to becoming a part of the U.S., and nearly half of that number felt Trump’s interest was a threat…
So, why can’t Trump simply leave this island alone? In short: Greenland boasts the rare earth metals used for electric cars, wind turbines and, you guessed it, manufacturing military equipment. It’s Trump’s intention, according to Klaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London, who spoke to CNN in January, to gain access and “keep China out.”
As for the White House’s explanation for why Waltz would be taking this trip, National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said: “The U.S. has a vested security interest in the Arctic region and it should not be a surprise the National Security Advisor and Secretary of Energy are visiting a U.S. Space Base to get first-hand briefings from our service members on the ground.”
Nothing says celebrating culture and unity like inviting yourself somewhere you’re not wanted, am I right?
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