Canada also in his sights Trump: Greenland should belong to the USA - son is traveling there
Trump's son wants to travel to the Arctic. Officially, the trip to Greenland is private, but his visit is politically delicate. His father continues to insist that the island should become US property.
07.01.2025, 05:00
07.01.2025, 05:18
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- The son of future US President Donald Trump, Donald Jr., wants to travel to Greenland while his father renews his claim to the island in the Arctic, which belongs to Denmark.
- Trump's eldest son is expected to arrive on the island on Tuesday, according to the local government.
- According to the Greenlandic government, no meetings with representatives of the government are planned.
- The government has apparently not been informed of the nature of Donald Trump Jr.'s trip, so it is said to be a private visit.
- Trump had already proposed buying Greenland during his first term in office.
- Denmark clearly rejected this.
The son of future US President Donald Trump, Donald Jr., wants to travel to Greenland while his father renews his claim to the island in the Arctic, which belongs to Denmark. "My son Don Jr. and various representatives will be traveling there to visit some of the most beautiful areas and sights," father Trump wrote on his online mouthpiece Truth Social. It remained open who exactly he meant by the representatives. The Republican added: "Greenland is an incredible place, and the people there will benefit tremendously if - and when - it becomes part of our nation."
Trump's son is expected to arrive on the island on Tuesday, according to the local government. No meetings with representatives of the Greenlandic government are planned, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mininnguaq Kleist, told the news agency Reuters. They had not been informed of the nature of the trip. "It is therefore a private visit," said Kleist.
Trump's son also gets involved in politics
Trump's son, also known as Don Jr. in the USA, plans to arrive in the capital Nuuk today, as reported by the US broadcaster Fox News and the portal "The Hill". It was said that the 47-year-old son was traveling privately and would not be meeting any government representatives on the huge island. "As someone who has traveled to some fascinating places around the world as a nature lover, I'm looking forward to stopping in Greenland this week to have some fun," Fox News quoted Trump's son as saying.
The president's eldest son has not yet been appointed to any official position in Trump's administration, at least publicly. However, he was heavily involved in the election campaign - he is considered a close advisor to his father. Don Jr's trip to Greenland is therefore also politically explosive. The future president also announced on Truth Social that Greenland would be protected from an "extremely cruel outside world". The people who live on the island are "Maga". The abbreviation stands for Trump's motto "Make America Great Again".
Island with strategic importance
The Republican, who will return to the White House on January 20, had already written in December: "In the interest of national security and freedom in the world, the United States believes that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity." Trump had already proposed buying Greenland during his first term in office. Denmark clearly rejected this. Most recently, the Danish government announced that it wanted to strengthen Greenland's security by investing billions.
Greenland, with a population of around 56,000, is largely autonomous. Due to its location in the Arctic, its proximity to Russia, its suspected mineral resources and an important US military base, the island is not only strategically important for the USA. Greenland is about six times the size of Germany. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen emphasized in December that Denmark could not monitor Greenland's vast territory on its own. "There are no concrete plans, but we will work together with the USA," said Poulsen.
Trump is also targeting Canada
Trump has also repeatedly and publicly looked at Canada recently, describing the neighboring country to the north as a possible "51st state" of the USA. He has now commented on this again on Truth Social: "If Canada were to merge with the USA, there would be no tariffs, taxes would drop significantly, and they (the Canadians) would be completely safe from the threat of Russian and Chinese ships that constantly surround them." Together with the USA, we could become a "great nation", said the 78-year-old.
Trump's jibes come at a politically uncertain time for Canada. The country's leadership will have to reorganize itself in the coming months. On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation after more than nine years as head of government. Trump had repeatedly referred to Trudeau derisively as a "governor". Governors are the heads of state governments in the USA. Canada is the second largest country in the world in terms of area, has around 40 million inhabitants and is a member of NATO and the G7.