Two dog sleds with a Greenlandic flag. One sled is heading towards the White House under a bright American sun. The other is heading towards Russian onion-shaped domes in darkness and stormy weather. Above the drawing, it says: »Which way, Greenland man?«
This is the image on an official post on X, published shortly after Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, along with his Greenlandic colleague Vivian Motzfeldt, met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The post is from the White House.
Both Løkke and Motzfeldt expressed hope after the meeting that an upcoming working group could address Greenland’s security issues in a way that would reduce the number of disparaging tweets, threats, and alarming messages from the Trump administration. This is not productive if we are to find a common path forward, they noted. They also pointed out that both Greenlanders and Danes are unsettled by these messages.
In the hours following the meeting and throughout the night Danish time, several reactions emerged, indicating that there is still a long way to go.
The U.S. special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, wrote in a post on X early Thursday morning Danish time: »The threats posed by hostile nations today require decisive American action in the Arctic.«
He did not mention the upcoming working group, even though the post came several hours after American media had reported on the meeting between the foreign ministers and the vice president of the three countries.
Landry undoubtedly has support from Trump himself. Without being briefed on the meeting’s content, Trump reiterated that the U.S. must have Greenland because two Danish dog sleds are not enough to protect against a Russian attack. Once again, Trump did not mention the increased Danish investments in Greenland.
Voters say no
Neither Trump nor Landry has the support of American voters. More than seven out of ten respondents in two new polls say it would be a bad idea or are directly opposed to using military force to take over Greenland, and there is broad consensus across party lines on this viewpoint.
There’s also strong resistance to any attempt to obtain Greenland by other means.
In a Quinnipiac poll, 55 percent of registered voters are against the U.S. trying to buy Greenland. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 47 percent of respondents say they are against American efforts to take over Greenland, while 17 percent support the idea, and 35 percent are unsure.
More Republicans are speaking out
An increasing number of Republicans are publicly pushing back against Trump’s plans for Greenland. Most recently, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former Senate majority leader, said late Wednesday night Danish time that the administration can meet its national security goals through cooperation.
»I have yet to hear this administration name a single thing we need from Greenland that its sovereign people aren’t already willing to give us,« McConnell said in a speech to Congress.
»Until the president can prove otherwise, the proposal, as it stands, is pretty straightforward: trading away the hard‑won trust of loyal allies for no meaningful change in America’s access to the Arctic.«
Support from senators
Denmark and Greenland received support from several U.S. senators late Wednesday Danish time when Løkke and Motzfeldt visited the U.S. Congress.
»It is important to send a signal that we in Congress support Greenland’s sovereignty and show respect for them as a people,« said Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski after the meeting with Løkke and Motzfeldt.
She is known as a Trump critic within the Republican Party and has prepared for a prolonged battle against Trump’s stance on Greenland.
Independent Senator Angus King also challenged Trump after the meeting.
»A military action against Greenland would be the most serious mistake the U.S. could make, aside from withdrawing support for Ukraine. It would weaken us,« said Angus King.
He has served on the Senate’s defense and intelligence committees for over 13 years. According to him, this has given him an understanding of what constitutes the U.S.’s unique strength.
»If we undermine the NATO alliance by discussing military action against a NATO country, we will lose our allies. That would be a major mistake,« said Angus King.
The senators will visit Denmark on Friday to show their opposition to the Trump administration’s policy towards Greenland. Løkke thanked the senators for the meeting and for their ’continuous support,’ which is expected to be demonstrated again during Friday’s visit to Copenhagen.
»It is important that people in Congress and the Senate emphasize that everyone must adhere to the UN Charter and the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,« he said.
Løkke on Fox News
Løkke sluttede en travl dag med at blive interviewet af Fox News, der politisk ligger tæt på Trump-administrationens holdninger. På spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt grønlænderne ikke ville sige ja, hvis de eksempelvis fik tilbudt 500.000 dollar, som svarer til 3,2 millioner kroner, sagde Løkke:
»Nej, det vil de ikke. For helt ærligt, der er ikke nogen chance for, at USA vil betale for et skandinavisk velfærdssystem i Grønland«, sagde han.
Løkke wrapped up a busy day with an interview on Fox News, which is broadly aligned with the Trump administration’s views. Asked whether Greenlanders wouldn’t say yes if, for example, they were offered $500,000 (about DKK 3.2 million), Løkke replied:
»No, they wouldn’t. Because, frankly, there’s no chance the U.S. would pay for a Scandinavian-style welfare system in Greenland,« he said.
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