Donald Trump Jr. arrives in Greenland with a message from his dad: 'We're going to treat you well'

Donald Trump Jr., center, smiles after arriving in Nuuk, Greenland, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (Emil Stach/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

U.S. president-elect Donald Trump told residents of Greenland that “we’re going to treat you well” as his oldest son visited the mineral-rich Danish territory that’s home to a large U.S. military base, heightening speculation that the incoming U.S. administration could seek to acquire it.

The president-elect later told a news conference he wouldn't rule out using military force or economic coercion to take control of Greenland, saying that “we need it for national security.”

Earlier, the president-elect posted a video showing a TRUMP-emblazoned plane landing in Nuuk, the Arctic territory’s capital, in a landscape of snow-capped peaks and fjords.

“Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,” Trump wrote. “The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” Supporters later posted video of Trump speaking by phone to locals.

In a statement, Greenland’s government said Donald Trump Jr.’s visit was taking place “as a private individual” and not as an official visit, and Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him.

Trump Jr. was in Greenland for a day trip to shoot video content for podcasting, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly. Trump’s eldest son has become a prominent player in his father’s political movement and has served on his presidential transition team.

Mininguaq Kleist, permanent secretary of the ministry of statehood and foreign affairs, told The Associated Press that authorities were informed that Trump Jr. would stay for about four to five hours. Neither Trump Jr.’s delegation nor Greenlandic government officials had requested a meeting, Kleist said.

The visit nonetheless had political overtones. The president-elect has voiced a desire — also expressed during his first presidency — to acquire the territory in the Arctic, an area of strategic importance for the U.S, China, Russia and others.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday that the future of Greenland would be decided by Greenland, and called the United States Denmark’s most important ally. “Greenland is not for sale,” Frederiksen said, adding that “we need to stay calm and stick to our principles”

The world’s largest island, Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and is 80% covered by an ice sheet. The autonomous territory has some 56,000 residents, most of them Indigenous Inuit people.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede has called for independence from Denmark, saying in a New Year’s speech that it would be a way for Greenland to free itself from its colonial past. But Egede has also said he has no interest in Greenland becoming part of the United States, insisting that the island is not for sale.

Independence has become a key issue ahead of an election for the Greenlandic parliament. A date hasn’t been set, but it must take place no later than April 6.

A former colony of Denmark, Greenland in 1979 gained self-rule, which is exercises through its parliament. Copenhagen still exercises control over Greenland’s foreign and defense policy. A treaty with the United States, with the U.S. base, also gives Washington say over the territory’s defense.

Denmark’s King Frederik X has been asserting the kingdom’s rights to Greenland as well as the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago located between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean. The king’s power is mostly symbolic.

Last month, the king by royal decree changed Denmark’s coat of arms to include fields that represent Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland is represented by a silver bear with red tongue. The royal announcement noted that since 1194, the royal coat of arms “visually symbolized the legitimacy and sovereignty of the state and the monarch.”

“We are all united and each of us committed for the Kingdom of Denmark,” the king said in his New Year’s address, adding: “all the way to Greenland.”

The idea of the U.S. purchasing Greenland — located near the North American landmass — is not new, with early attempts in the late 19th century.

During his first term, Trump mused about purchasing Greenland. He cancelled a scheduled trip to Denmark in August 2019 after the prime minister dismissed the idea.

Reviving the issue in a statement last month as he announced his pick for U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Trump wrote: “For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”