New Trump envoy says he will serve to make Greenland part of US

Donald Trump has sparked a new row with Denmark after appointing a special envoy to Greenland, the vast Arctic island he has said he wants to annex.

Trump announced Sunday that Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, would become the United States’ special envoy to Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Governor Landry said in an article on X that it was an honor to serve in a “volunteer position to make Greenland part of the United States.”

The move angered Copenhagen, which said it would call the US ambassador for “an explanation”. Greenland’s prime minister said the island must “decide its own future” and “its territorial integrity must be respected.”

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has reignited his long-standing interest in Greenland, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth.

He refused to rule out the use of force to secure control of the island, a position that shocked Denmark, a NATO ally that traditionally has close relations with Washington.

Greenland, which has around 57,000 inhabitants, has enjoyed broad autonomy since 1979, although defense and foreign policy remain in the hands of the Danes. While most Greenlanders favor eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to joining the United States.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called Landry’s appointment “deeply upsetting” and warned Washington to respect Danish sovereignty.

He told Danish broadcaster TV2: “As long as we have a kingdom consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, we cannot accept actions that undermine our territorial integrity.”

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said his territory was ready to cooperate with the United States and other countries, but only on the basis of mutual respect.

He said: “The appointment of a special envoy changes nothing for us. We decide our own future. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and territorial integrity must be respected.”

Writing on social media, the US president said Landry understood how Greenland was “critical to our national security” and would advance US interests.

The significance of this appointment lies both in the American presumption that Greenland is separate from Denmark and in the new appointee’s assertion that he will help the island become part of the United States.

Envoys are informal appointments and unlike official diplomats, they do not need to be approved by the host country.

This appointment shows that Trump’s ambition to control Greenland remains intact.

Much like his military and rhetorical aggression against Venezuela, this indicates that Trump is determined to gain greater control over what his recent national security strategy calls the “Western Hemisphere,” a sphere of influence that he hopes will span the entire Americas.

Landry has previously expressed his opinion on Greenland, writing on his personal X account in January: “President Donald J. Trump is absolutely right! We must make Greenland join the United States. BIG for them, BIG for us! Let’s do it!

Landry is a military veteran and former police officer who served as a U.S. congressman and Louisiana attorney general before being elected governor in 2023. He said his new role would not affect his duties as governor.

The dispute over his appointment comes as strategic competition intensifies in the Arctic, with melting ice opening new shipping routes and increasing access to valuable mineral resources.

Greenland’s location between North America and Europe also makes it central to U.S. and NATO security planning.

The United States has maintained a base in Greenland since World War II, having invaded the territory to establish military and radio stations after the Nazi occupation of Denmark during the conflict.

Vice President JD Vance visited the base in March to ask the Greenlanders to “make a deal with the United States.”

The United States reopened a consulate in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, in 2020 – during Trump’s first term – after closing it in 1953. A number of European countries, as well as Canada, have honorary consulates general in Greenland.