(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede said Friday he is “ready to talk” to President-elect Donald Trump’s team about cooperating with the U.S.
Trump suggested buying Greenland in late December to safeguard “national security and freedom throughout the world.” Since then, the president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland as Trump told reporters Tuesday that he would not rule out military or economic coercion for the U.S. to cinch the territory from China’s growing influence.
Filming for @ArtoftheSurge in Greenland.
President Trump just called into a lunch @DonaldJTrumpJr, @charliekirk11 and @SergioGor are having with the local community in Nuuk. pic.twitter.com/T1Hca62GQB
— Justin Wells (@justinbwells) January 7, 2025
Although Greenland’s leader balked at the idea of his people becoming American, he expressed willingness to engage in negotiations with Trump about the future of his resource-rich arctic landmass, according to the New York Post.
“We are ready to talk,” Egede said during a press conference in Denmark. “Cooperation is about dialogue. Cooperation means that you will work toward solutions.”
NEW: Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede says he is ready to speak with Donald Trump as he calls for independence from Denmark.
Egede said his people didn’t want to be Americans but said it was ultimately up to them to decide their future.
“We are ready to talk [with… pic.twitter.com/2UuvX8m6Jg
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 11, 2025
Egede acknowledged that Greenland was “a place that Americans see as part of their world,” the outlet reported. He said he was up for “discussions about what unites us” with the incoming Trump administration.
The Danish government hopes to convince Trump that Greenland can address American security concerns without the area becoming part of the U.S., Axios reported. Egede made clear his advocacy for an independent Greenland, which became a self-governing Danish territory in 1953.
“Greenland is for the Greenlandic people,” Egede said. “We do not want to be Danish and we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic.”
Reporter: Can you assure the world that as you try to get control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, that you won't use military or economic coercion?
Trump: "No." pic.twitter.com/JlvCxi9jtQ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 7, 2025
Greenland wants to avoid confrontation with the U.S., which already has a military base in the territory and an agreement with Denmark dating back to 1951, sources told Axios.
During the press conference, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the outlet reported. She said she requested a meeting with Trump.
If Trump successfully makes a deal with Denmark for Greenland, he would become the first president in 80 years to acquire new territory for the U.S., according to the outlet. This comes after the Republican had proposed taking back the Panama Canal and making Canada the “51st state” of America.
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and the American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
