Donald Trump Jr. plans to visit Greenland, two weeks after his father reiterated his desire for the United States to control the island, an autonomous Danish territory.
US media reported that the US President-elect's son intends to record video footage for a podcast during the private one-day visit.
Donald Trump sparked controversy again in December when he said that “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for US national security.
He had previously expressed interest in purchasing Arctic land during his first term as president. Trump was rebuffed by Greenlandic leaders on both occasions.
“We are not for sale and we will never be for sale,” the island's prime minister, Miot Egedi, said in December. “Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland.”
Greenland is located on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important to the United States. It is also home to a large American space facility.
The president-elect's eldest son played a key role during the 2024 US election campaign, appearing frequently at rallies and in the media.
But he will not travel to Greenland on behalf of his father's incoming administration, according to the Danish Foreign Ministry.
The ministry told the BBC: “We have noted the scheduled visit of Donald Trump Jr. to Greenland. Since it is not an official US visit, the Danish Foreign Ministry has no further comment on the visit.”
Hours after President-elect Trump's latest intervention, the Danish government announced A A significant increase in Greenland's defense spending. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described the timing of the announcement as “an irony.”
King Frederick X of Denmark on Monday changed the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Some saw this as a rebuke of Trump, but it could also be controversial with Greenland's separatist movement.
King Frederik used his New Year's speech to say the Kingdom of Denmark was united “all the way to Greenland”, adding “we belong together”.
But Greenland's prime minister used his New Year's speech to push for independence from Denmark, saying the island should be freed from the “shackles of colonialism”.
Trump is not the first US president to propose buying Greenland. The idea was first proposed by the country's 17th president, Andrew Johnson, during the 1860s.
Separately in recent weeks, Trump has It threatened to reassert its control of the Panama CanalOne of the most important waterways in the world. Panama was accused of charging exorbitant fees to access it.
The President of Panama responded by saying that “every square meter” of the canal and the surrounding area belonged to his country.
