*’We want our own independence and democracy, not to be beholden to the U.S.’
A senior Greenlandic politician slammed Donald Trump Jr.’s visit to the island as “staged,” and warned the United States not to “invade us” given its historical treatment of Alaska’s indigenous people.
Pipaluk Lynge, an MP from Greenland’s largest party and chair of the parliamentary foreign and security policy committee, told POLITICO that Greenland wants “our own independence and democracy,” not to be beholden to the U.S.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s eldest son landed on the self-ruling Danish territory Tuesday and spent the day meeting with local residents, who he claimed were supportive of a U.S. takeover. But Lynge said it was a stunt.
“No journalists were allowed to interview him. It was all staged to make it seem like we — the Greenlandic people — were MAGA and love to be a part of the USA,” Lynge said.
Local media said that the Trump Jr. camp passed out MAGA hats to residents on the day of the visit, while video footage from the trip showed the president-elect talking to cap-wearing Greenlanders on speakerphone during a lunch event.
A spokesperson for Trump Jr. denied that the visit was staged and called the criticism “ridiculous.”
Trump declared Tuesday he would not exclude using economic or military force to gain control of Greenland or the Panama Canal, in a dramatic threat that would reshape the global security architecture.
“We know how they treat the Inuit in Alaska,” Lynge hit back. “Make that great before trying to invade us.”
As global powers seek to expand their reach and footprint in the Arctic, mineral-rich Greenland — which hosts a U.S. military base — is coveted for its strategic security and trade value.
