Donald Trump has made no secret of his desire to annex Greenland (Image: Getty)
Greenlanders have sent an unequivocal message about his plans to annex their territory. The US President has made no secret of his desire to take over the Arctic island, originally offering to buy it in 2019, during his first term.
Since his return to the White House, Trump has aggressively stepped up his pursuit of Greenland. He told reporters over the weekend that the island’s 57,000 residents “want to be with us”, shorty before elections were held on Tuesday in the autonomous territory. However, exit polls show that a majority of Greenlanders have no interest in becoming part of Trump’s brave new world.
Jens Frederik Nielsen is the leader of the Demokraatit party (Image: Getty)
A pro-Trump party, Qulleq, gained just around 1% of the vote and finished a distant last.
The elections, in which around 44,000 Greenlanders were eligible to vote, were won by the centre-right Demokraatit party, which gained around 30% of the vote and advocates for gradual independence from Denmark. Naleraq, which campaigns to immediately begin the independence process and forge closer ties with the US, was on course for second place with almost a quarter of the vote.
A political expert told the Express that the result was a big setback for Trump’s expansionist ambitions.
“Demokraatit is quite clear that Greenland, as its leader put it, is not a house that can simply be bought,” Dr Dwayne Ryan Menezes of the Polar Research Institute & Policy Initiative said.
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“The position with respect to Trump’s ambition to acquire the island, thus, remains unchanged: a firm no.”
He also said: “Naleraq, which saw its support soar considerably and which came in second, is mainly known for seeking rapid (rather than gradual) independence but is also seen to be more positively disposed towards the US. That said, their interest seems to be much more in exploring avenues for further cooperation or possibly even free association (at least to one of its politicians), rather than putting Greenland up for sale.”
He added that while the issues of independence and relations with the US were important, most people were more concerned about healthcare, education, housing and employment.
Demokraatit’s leader, Jens Frederik Nielsen, said islanders needed to stand together in a “time of great interest from outside.”
“There is a need for unity, so we will enter into negotiations with everyone,” he said.
Greenland – the world’s biggest island, between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans – has been controlled by Denmark, nearly 3,000km (1,860 miles) away, for about 300 years.
The islanders govern their own domestic affairs, but decisions on foreign and defence policy are made in Copenhagen.
About 44,000 Greenlanders out of a population of 57,000 were eligible to cast their votes to elect 31 MPs, as well as the local government.
Greenland’s strategic location and untapped mineral resources have caught Trump’s eye.
It has significant deposits of important natural resources, such as uranium, iron and rare earth minerals.