New Trump envoy says he will serve to make Greenland part of US

Donald Trump has sparked a new row with Denmark after appointing a special envoy to Greenland, the huge Arctic island he says he would like to annex.

Trump announced Sunday that Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, will become the U.S. special envoy to Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Governor Landry said in a post on X that he was honored to work “in a volunteer capacity to make Greenland part of the United States.”

The move angered Copenhagen, which said it would summon the US ambassador for an “explanation”. Greenland's prime minister said the island must “decide its own future” and that its “territorial integrity must be respected.”

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has renewed his long-standing interest in Greenland, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth.

He refused to rule out using force to secure control of the island, a stance that shocked Denmark, a NATO ally that has traditionally maintained close relations with Washington.

Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, has had broad self-government since 1979, although defense and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. Although most Greenlanders favor eventual independence from Denmark, public opinion polls show that the vast majority of Greenlanders oppose joining the United States.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called Landry's appointment “deeply disappointing” and warned Washington to respect Denmark's sovereignty.

He told Danish broadcaster TV2: “As long as we have a kingdom consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, we cannot tolerate actions that undermine our territorial integrity.”

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the territory is ready to cooperate with the United States and other countries, but only on the basis of mutual respect.

He said: “The appointment of a special envoy does not change anything for us. We decide our own future. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and territorial integrity must be respected.”

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a message on X that the EU “stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland.”

On social media, the US president said Landry understands how “important Greenland is to our national security” and will advance US interests.

The significance of the appointment lies both in the US assumption that Greenland is separate from Denmark and in the new appointee's assertion that he will help the island become part of the US.

Envoys are appointed informally and, unlike official diplomats, do not require the approval of the host country.

The appointment shows Trump's ambitions to control Greenland remain unchanged.

As with his military and rhetorical aggression toward Venezuela, it indicates that Trump is determined to gain greater control over what his recent National Security Strategy calls the “Western Hemisphere,” a sphere of influence that he hopes will encompass all of America.

Trump tried to buy Greenland during his first term as president. Both Denmark and the Greenlandic government rejected the 2019 offer, saying: “Greenland is not for sale.”

Landry has previously expressed his opinion about Greenland: I am writing on my personal account X in January: “President Donald J. Trump is absolutely right! We need to ensure that Greenland joins the United States. GREAT for them, GREAT for us! Let's do it!

Landry is a military veteran and former police officer who served as a U.S. congressman and Louisiana attorney general before being elected governor in 2023. He said his new role will not affect his responsibilities as governor.

The dispute over his appointment comes as strategic competition in the Arctic intensifies as melting ice opens up new shipping routes and greater access to valuable mineral resources.

Greenland is located in the Arctic between North America and Europe, which also makes it central to US and NATO security planning.

The US has maintained a base in Greenland since World War II, following the invasion to establish military and radio stations throughout the area after the Nazis occupied Denmark during the conflict.

Vice President J.D. Vance visited the base in March when he asked the people of Greenland to “make a deal with the US.”

The US reopened a consulate in Nuuk, Greenland's capital, in 2020 – during Trump's first term – after closing it in 1953. A number of European countries, as well as Canada, have honorary consulates general in Greenland.