Greenland’s recent election saw a pro-independence party gain ground, a development welcomed by former U.S. President Donald Trump. However, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke
Rasmussen was quick to dismiss Trump’s interpretation of the results.
“It’s a misinterpretation of the Greenlandic election to conclude that we’ll have an independent Greenland tomorrow, flying a white flag that can then be painted with stars and stripes,” Rasmussen stated in an interview with Danish TV 2 on Friday.
Greenland’s center-right Democrats secured victory over the incumbent left-wing coalition in Tuesday’s election, while a pro-U.S. party achieved its best-ever result.
The Democrats, a pro-business party, saw their support surge, capturing around 30 percent of the vote—more than triple their previous election performance in 2021. Although the party supports Greenlandic independence, it advocates a gradual approach.
Trump, speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Thursday, praised the winning party’s leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, calling him “a very good person” and reiterating his belief that Greenland’s annexation by the U.S. is inevitable.
However, Nielsen firmly rejected Trump’s remarks.
“We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future,” Nielsen told Sky News. “And we want to build our own country by ourselves.”
Trump sparked global controversy in January when he declared that U.S. control of Greenland was an “absolute necessity” for national security. He refused to rule out economic or military measures to achieve this goal.
In response, Denmark pledged €2 billion to bolster its Arctic defenses. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also launched a series of diplomatic efforts with European allies to reaffirm Greenland’s status and counter Trump’s ambitions. Photo by Eider Palmou, Wikimedia commons.