US President Donald Trump appointed the governor of the state of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as special envoy for Greenland, and said he would seek to make that autonomous territory of Denmark “part of the US.”
In a message published this Sunday on his social Truth network, Trump announced the designation of Landry, a former congressman who has been governor of Louisiana since 2024, as “United States special envoy for Greenland,” according to Efe.
“Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our national security, and will vigorously advance our country’s interests for the security and survival of our allies and, indeed, the world. Congratulations, Jeff!”, the message adds.
Landry, Trump clarified, will combine this “voluntary position” with that of governor of Louisiana, and said that his mission will be “to make Greenland part of the United States.”
The US president has reiterated on several occasions in recent months his interest in “taking over” the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland for reasons of national security, within an expansionist desire that also extends to Canada and the Panama Canal.
Cost estimates
This year, the White House compiled estimates of how much it would cost to acquire and administer Greenland, in addition to the income that would be implied by the exploitation of its natural resources, mainly minerals, as reported in April by the newspaper. Washington Post.
Trump said at the beginning of the year that he did not rule out the use of force to annex the island, with 57,000 inhabitants, and that it is key to navigation around the Arctic region.
Reaction in Denmark
For its part, Denmark announced this Monday that it will summon the American ambassador after the appointment last night of Jeff Landry.
“It is completely unacceptable. That is why I have decided, in agreement with my Greenlandic colleagues, that we will call the American ambassador to a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” the head of this department, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, told Danish public television DR, as quoted by the Spanish agency.
Rasmussen had previously stated in a statement that Landry’s appointment confirms that American interest in that Arctic island is maintained and had called for “respect” for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, which includes, in addition to Greenland, the Faroe Islands.
Both the authorities of the island, which has enjoyed the right of self-determination since 2009, as well as those of Denmark and the European Union (EU) have on several occasions rejected Trump’s expansionist claims. However, they have shown their willingness to cooperate in the defense of the island, which has a US base, the result of an agreement signed seven decades ago between Copenhagen and Washington.
For 15 years, Greenland has enjoyed a Statute of Autonomy that recognizes the right to self-determination, a possibility that the majority of its inhabitants support, while rejecting being part of the United States, according to polls.
