Vice President JD Vance is already en route back to the United States after a brief visit to Greenland, whose people didn't want him there as they push back against President Donald Trump's attempt to take over the Arctic territory.
Vance visited a U.S. military base and gave a combative speech in which he claimed that the Kingdom of Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory, "has not done a good job by the people of Greenland." Vance said that this means the United States has “no option” but to take an aggressive stance in trying to gain control of the land.
“Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance said in a speech, according to The Guardian. “You have under invested in the people of Greenland, and you have under invested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change, and because it hasn’t changed, this is why President Trump’s policy in Greenland is what it is.”
Vance was not originally supposed to go to Greenland.
The initial plan was for only his wife, Usha Vance, to travel to the region, attend a dog sled race, and see other cultural sites.
But the people of Greenland—which absolutely do not want the U.S. to take control of their land—were set to wage protests, and so the trip was dramatically scaled back. Greenland officials specifically did not want a Trump administration delegation to visit because the country was in the midst of forming a new government, and didn’t want the United States to meddle in that process.
JD Vance, who is under fire for being part of an unsecured group chat in which he and other top Trump officials mistakenly discussed military attack plans in the presence of a journalist, was added to the trip at the last minute.
Upon arrival in Greenland, the Vances visited the military base and the vice president gave his speech, then they quickly got back on the government plane to head back to the U.S.
Earlier in the day, Trump also made an aggressive statement about Greenland, saying at the White House,: “We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security. We have to have Greenland. … If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that. We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody else to take care of that situation. And we’re not talking about peace for the United States. We’re talking about world peace. We’re talking about international security.”
Trump also posted a video to X about the United States’ history with Greenland in what seems to be an attempt to convince Greenlanders that they should want to become Americans.
But a recent poll showed the overwhelming majority (85%) of Greenlanders do not want to become part of the U.S., with residents saying that they believe Trump’s desire to acquire the territory will hurt their efforts to become an independent country.
"I think it's stupid," Nivinnguaq Rasmussen, a shop assistant in the capital city of Nuuk, told CBS News. "[Trump] says he wants national security, but I don't believe him."
Emily Singer March 28, 2025 at 11:30PM From Daily Kos
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