President Donald Trump shared an image on Truth Social showing him intently looking over Greenland’s colorful A-frame homes on Saturday morning.
The post comes days after Greenland residents protested the opening of the U.S.’s new consulate in the capital and a visit by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, whom Trump appointed as a special envoy to the Arctic island this past December. Protestors gathered outside the consulate, many chanting, “No means no,” and “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
Since returning to office, Trump has escalated rhetoric about the U.S. potentially annexing Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, arguing that the island is critical for U.S. security against Russia and China.
What to Know
In a Saturday morning post on Truth Social, following messages about diplomacy with China and a separate post referring to a “United States of the Middle East” that featured an altered image of Iran draped in the American flag, Trump turned his attention to Greenland.
In the image, captioned, “Hello, Greenland!” Trump is peering out over Greenland’s mountainous landscape from behind a ridge. Trump has previously posted AI-edited images on his account related to control of Greenland, including a January photo of himself, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio carrying an American flag next to a sign that said, “Greenland—U.S. Territory. Est. 2026.”
Saturday’s post came days after hundreds of Greenlanders protested outside the U.S. consulate against U.S. efforts to expand influence over the island. The protests also came as Landry made his first visit to the Arctic territory since being appointed to his envoy role. During his visit, Landry fueled local anger by telling the AFP that it was “time for the U.S. to put its footprint back on Greenland” and discussing plans for “repopulating certain bases,” while suggesting that U.S. involvement could help lift the island from “dependency to independence” from Denmark.
Landry met with the Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Foreign Minister Múte Egede during his visit; however, several high-profile leaders, including Nielsen, skipped the opening of the massive 30,000-square-feet diplomatic compound.
Nielsen told reporters after their meeting, “The Greenlandic people are not for sale. Greenlandic self-determination is not something that can be negotiated.”
What Greenlanders Are Saying
“Our government already told Donald Trump and his administration that Greenland is not for sale,” Aqqalukkuluk Fontain, who organized the protest, told the BBC. In addition to sovereignty chants, hundreds of protestors stood in silence with their backs turned to the new U.S. consulate, the outlet reported.
Meanwhile, a video circulating online showed Trump’s envoy being heckled during his visit. Greenland resident Orla Joelson shared a video on X on Wednesday that saw Landry walking through the city. “Don’t come here,” a person can be heard yelling in the clip.
The New York Times reported that Landry offered residents MAGA hats, but few accepted.
Despite multiple outlets reporting that Greenlanders did not embrace Landry or Trump’s message, as he departed the country, the governor thanked Greenlanders for a “warm welcome” posting on X that he “will continue to work to deepen ties between our people,” including during future visits.
A White House spokesperson previously told Newsweek that Landry “had a productive meeting” with Greenland’s prime minister and foreign Minister, “with both sides affirming the importance of the high-level working group.”
“The United States is optimistic that we are on a good trajectory to address U.S. national security interests in Greenland. Governor Landry is doing a great job and is a strong asset to the world-class team that President Trump has put together to pursue long-term peace both at home and abroad,” spokesperson Olivia Wales added.
The U.S. and Denmark are both members of NATO, protected by the alliance’s Article 5, which considers an attack on one to be an attack on all. Experts have warned that a U.S. military assault on another NATO state would rip apart the alliance.
Why Does Trump Want Greenland?
Trump has repeatedly insisted that the U.S. needs to take control of the territory for security reasons, which has raised sovereignty concerns and pushback from Greenlandic and Danish leaders. The island is already home to the U.S. space base at Pituffik. However, tensions have spiked following reports that the U.S. is currently pressing Denmark and Greenland for three new military bases in southern Greenland, floating the controversial proposal to designate them as U.S. “sovereign territory,” the BBC reported.
In a January Truth Social post, the president wrote the annexation of Greenland is “especially important” “because of The Golden Dome, and Modern Day Weapons Systems, both Offensive and Defensive.”
Trump appeared more focused on Greenland earlier this year, before other foreign policy crises took center stage, repeatedly raising the prospect of greater U.S. control over the island and pressuring Denmark through diplomatic and tariff threats, however, he has not abandoned the issue.
Landry, following his visit to Greenland, noted the importance of the Arctic island to the U.S. amid the ongoing Iran war, saying on Fox News on Friday, “Greenland could be exporting 2 million barrels of oil a day right now.”
He continued: “Think about what that would mean. Think about what kind of pressure that would relieve in the Strait of Hormuz. Think about what kind of leverage that would give the Western Hemisphere and America. Think about the help that would give to Europe right now.”
