Trump Jr. is set to visit Greenland following Trump's demand for U.S. ownership

Trump Jr. is set to visit Greenland following Trump's demand for U.S. ownership

Donald Trump Jr. will visit Greenland on Tuesday, just weeks after his father, the U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, has once again expressed its interest in controlling the autonomous Danish territory. Denmark's foreign minister told CNN on Monday that she noted Donald Trump Jr.'s planned visit but would not comment further because it was "not an official American visit."

Planned private trip

A spokesman for the Danish Foreign Ministry explained that the visit was a “private trip” primarily intended to collect video material for a podcast. CNN has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment.

Trump's desire for control of Greenland

The US president-elect caused a stir last month when he reiterated his desire to acquire the extensive Arctic territory, calling it an "absolute necessity" for "national security and freedom worldwide." He had previously floated the idea of ​​buying Greenland from Denmark during his first term as president. However, this idea was rejected by the island's government, which stated that Greenland was "not for sale".

Reactions from Greenland and Denmark

Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede responded to the US president-elect's latest comments on Facebook, clarifying that Greenland "is not for sale and will never be for sale." The office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who described Trump's suggestion of wanting to buy Greenland as "absurd", also supported Egede and emphasized that Greenland was open to cooperation but would not be sold.

Historical U.S. interest in Greenland

Donald Trump is not the first American politician to show interest in controlling Greenland, which is the Thule Air Base, the northernmost military base in the United States. This is located about 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle and was built in 1951. Although President Harry Truman Dodged questions about his desire for control in the region, the United States is said to have attempted to purchase Greenland in 1946. Already showed in 1867 Secretary of State William Seward Interested in purchasing the island.

Urge for independence

According to Reuters, Greenland's prime minister reinforced his desire for independence from Denmark in his New Year's speech, declaring that the island should free itself from the "shackles of colonialism." Interestingly, the United States was not mentioned in these statements.

Additional reporting by Steve Contorno, Katherine Sullivan, Pamela Brown, Jim Acosta and Caroline Kelly.