Trump Jr to visit Greenland after dad says US should own the territory

Donald Trump Jr is planning to visit Greenland, two weeks after his father reiterated his desire for the US to take control of the self-governing Danish territory.

The son of the US President-elect is planning to record a podcast during a secret one-day trip, US media reports.

Donald Trump also sparked controversy in December when he said “ownership and control of Greenland is very important” to US national security.

He previously expressed interest in buying an Arctic island during his first term as president. Trump was opposed by Greenlandic leaders both times.

“We are not selling and we will not sell,” said the island’s prime minister, Mute Egede, in December. “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”

President-elect Trump confirmed his son’s visit on his Truth Social social media page on Monday.

He said Don Jr and “various representatives” will go to Greenland “to visit some of the most beautiful areas”.

Mr Trump added that Greenland and its people “will benefit greatly if, and when, it becomes part of our country”.

“We’re going to protect it, I love it, from the worst outside world,” he said. “Make Greenland great again!”

The president-elect’s tweet also included a video featuring an unnamed Greenlander — wearing a red Make America Great Again hat — telling Trump to buy Greenland and release it from “domination” by Denmark.

The person in the picture is unknown.

Greenland is on the shortest route from North America to Europe, which makes it of great importance to the US. It is also home to some of America’s greatest landmarks.

The eldest son of the president-elect has been active in the campaign for the US elections in 2024, appearing regularly at meetings and in the media.

But he will not travel to Greenland on behalf of his father’s incoming administration, according to the Danish foreign ministry.

“We have noted Donald Trump Jr’s planned visit to Greenland. As it is not an official visit to America, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no further comment on the visit,” the ministry told BBC News.

A few hours after the recent intervention of President-elect Trump, the Danish government announced a a major boost to the use of defense in Greenland. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described the timing of the announcement as “shocking”.

On Monday Denmark’s King Frederik X changed the royal robes to those of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Some have seen this as a rebuke to Trump, but it could also be against Greenland’s separatist group.

King Frederik used his New Year’s address to say that the Kingdom of Denmark was united “as far as Greenland”, adding that “we are together”.

But Greenland’s prime minister used his New Year’s speech to press Denmark for independence, saying the island must break free from “colonial shackles”.

Trump is not the first US president to say he wants to buy Greenland. The idea was first introduced by the nation’s 17th president, Andrew Johnson, in the 1860s.

Alone in recent weeks, Trump has said threatened to reestablish control over the Panama Canalone of the most important waterways in the world. He criticized Panama for charging too much to get there.

The President of Panama responded that every “square meter” of the canal and the surrounding area belonged to his country.