Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede shut down President-elect Donald Trump's stated goal of purchasing the island territory, telling Fox News' Brett Baier that Greenland has no desire to be a part of America, counter to Trump's claims.
Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, alongside the Faroe Islands, the only other autonomous territory within the Kingdom. Citizens of both Greenland and the Faroe Islands are full citizens of Denmark. As one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, Greenland’s citizens are also recognized as EU citizens.
Although geographically part of the North American continent, Greenland has maintained strong political and cultural ties to Europe—specifically to Norway and Denmark, its historical colonial powers—for over a millennium.
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The United States has long recognized Greenland's strategic importance. In 1946, the U.S. even proposed purchasing Greenland from Denmark, offering $100 million in gold as part of the deal—and while that never panned out, the world is nervously watching the president-elect since he voiced his desire for territorial expansion, calling "the ownership and control of Greenland" an "absolute necessity."
Egede said:
"We will always be part of NATO. We will always be a strong partner for U.S. We are close neighbors, we have been cooperating in the last 80 years, and I think the future have a lot to offer to cooperate with, but we want to also be clear. We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be a part of U.S., but we want a strong cooperation together with U.S."
When asked if Greenlanders would vote for independence from Denmark if there was a referendum, he replied:
"Yeah, but it’s up to the Greenlandic people to decide when we want to be independent, and I think it’s important to see that if Greenland takes those steps, we will always be a part of the Western alliance and a strong partner for U.S. because your security is our security."
When Baier asked if Egede was affirming that "Greenland is not for sale," Egede was firm:
“Greenland and the future of Greenland will be decided by the Greenlandic people, and the Greenlandic people don’t want to be Danes, the Greenlandic people don’t want to be Americans. Greenlandic people want to be part of the Western alliance as Greenlandic people.”
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Many concurred and criticized Trump's statements.
Earlier this week, Fox News reporter Alex Hogan made an awkward admission about how Greenlanders feel about Trump's threats, noting that "most" don't support or appreciate his push to take control of it.
Hogan noted on Tuesday that there has been a “mixed reaction” to Trump's proposal and began by highlighting an interview with Jørgen Boassen, an enthusiastic Trump supporter decked out in Trump merchandise. Boassen described Greenland as the “front door” to the U.S. and suggested the island might require protection from powers like Russia and China.
Fox then aired clips of several interviewees expressing a preference to remain under Denmark's governance, including one man who said "I hate it and don't know what he's aiming at" and another who said "I want to stick with the Danish government."
Hogan admitted that most people "do not support Trump's comments and find them offensive."
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