- Second Lady of the U.S., Usha Vance will lead a delegation visiting Greenland this week, despite local pushback.
- The delegation will attend a dogsled race as well as visit an American military base.
- Greenland's government has criticized the trip as "provocation" but Trump has called it "friendliness."
A U.S. delegation led by second lady Usha Vance and her son will be visiting Greenland later this week, but the announcement of the trip has received pushback from the local leadership.
This trip, which was announced on Sunday, has been called a “provocation” by leaders in Greenland, but President Donald Trump says the purpose is “friendliness,” per The Hill.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second term in the White House, he has spoken about the U.S. annexing Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
In his recent joint address to Congress, Trump said, “We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and, if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”
Trump said the U.S. needs Greenland for “national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it.”
“And I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it,” he said, before making his pitch to Greenlanders.
“We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before. It’s a very small population but very, very large piece of land and very, very important for military security.”
The delegation’s visit to Greenland
Along with Vance and her son, the delegation will also include White House national security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, according to Reuters. They will be traveling to Greenland on Thursday and will return to the U.S. on March 29.
The delegation will attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race, which will feature 37 mushers and 444 dogs.
“Ms. Vance and the delegation are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity,” according to a statement from the White House.
During the trip, Waltz and Wright will visit Pituffik Space Base, “the U.S. military base located along the shortest route from Europe to North America, vital for its ballistic missile warning system,” per Reuters.
Greenland’s reaction to the coming visit
According to The New York Times, the Greenlandic government has criticized the upcoming trip, calling Trump aggressive.
“This will clearly have the opposite effect of what the Americans want,” said Lars Trier Mogensen, a political analyst based in Copenhagen, according to The New York Times. “This offensive pushes Greenland further away from the U.S., even though a year ago, all parties in Greenland were looking forward to more business with the Americans.”
Greenland recently held elections, which gave power to the country’s center-right, pro-business, Demokraatit party, which wants to move the country towards independence, as previously reported by the Deseret News.
The outgoing prime minister of Greenland, Mute Egede, called the visit a “provocation” and said his government will not meet with the delegation, per Reuters.
“Until recently, we could trust the Americans, who were our allies and friends, and with whom we enjoyed working closely,” Egede added, according to Reuters. “But that time is over.”
One Greenlander, Jens Peter said that the delegation has bad timing given that the new government isn’t in place yet, adding that it isn’t disrespectful, but that “they lack situational awareness,” per The New York Times.
Despite criticism, Trump spoke on Monday in defense of the trip saying “this is friendliness, not provocation.” According to The Hill, he added that they were invited to visit Greenland but would not specify who invited them.
“We’re dealing with a lot of people from Greenland that would like to see something happen with respect to their being properly protected and properly taken care of. They’re calling us. We’re not calling them,” Trump said, according to The Hill.
The president also said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be visiting Greenland soon.