Greenland’s prime minister says Arctic island doesn’t want to be part of US

Greenland’s prime minister has seemingly shut the door on President-elect Donald Trump’s bid for an autonomous Danish territory, saying Greenlanders don’t want to be Americans or Danes.

“We want to be Greenlanders,” Múte Egede said in “Special Report” on Thursday. “We will always be part of NATO. We will always be a strong partner for [the] USA We are close neighbors. We are incorporated in the last 80 years. And I think that in the future we have a lot to offer, to cooperate. But we also want to be clear: we don’t want to be Americans. We don’t want to be a part of it [the] USA, but we want strong cooperation with [the] OUR”

At a press conference at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month, Trump said he would not rule out using military or economic pressure to obtain Greenland or the Panama Canal.

“We need them for economic security,” he told reporters. The incoming 47th president considers the Arctic island vital to American national security.

Fox News Correspondent Alex Hogan traveled to Nuuk, Greenland, in mid-January to speak with some residents who didn’t seem too enthused about Trump’s plans.

“I’d rather be with Denmark than the US,” said one man, whose name was not provided.

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“The United States used to be a place that here they kind of admired him. And for the most part, any goodwill they had is now almost gone,” another man said.

One Greenlander, Jørgen Boassen, who has supported Trump for years, explained that his homeland is both a “gateway” to the United States and foreign adversaries like Russia and China.

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Fox News host Bret Baier asked Egede if Greenlanders would vote for independence from Denmark if given the chance.

“Yes, but it’s up to the Greenlandic people to decide when we want to be independent. And I think they are important to see that if Greenland take[s] with these steps, we will always be a part of the Western alliance and a strong partner [the] USA because your safety is our safety,” he replied.

The prime minister acknowledged Greenland’s vast rare earth minerals, such as zinc, gold and uranium, and called for a stronger partnership with the United States and the European Union so the territory can diversify its economy and gain investment.

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“Me they have a lot to offer. We have a lot to work on. So we are ready for – that the US can come here and invest in our minerals,” Egede added. He said that there are currently no Chinese companies operating in Greenland.