Whether you like it or not! Vance visits Trump's dream island of Greenland with his wife
"Cold as ass here": US Vice President J.D. Vance visits Trump's dream island of Greenland.
Image: Jim Watson/POOL AFP/AP/dpa
J.D. and Usha Vance made their way to Greenland early this morning.
Image: dpa
Trump's deputy visits the US military base Pituffik. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
"Cold as ass here": US Vice President J.D. Vance visits Trump's dream island of Greenland.
Image: Jim Watson/POOL AFP/AP/dpa
J.D. and Usha Vance made their way to Greenland early this morning.
Image: dpa
Trump's deputy visits the US military base Pituffik. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
The US visit to the semi-autonomous island, which belongs to Denmark, is controversial after Trump expressed his desire for the US to take control of Greenland. The original itinerary has been curtailed.
28.03.2025, 20:19
dpa
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- His boss has repeatedly expressed interest in the largest island on earth, and now J.D. Vance and his wife are traveling there for a few hours.
- He is the highest-ranking Trump representative to visit Greenland to date.
- The Greenland visit was scaled back after there was an outcry among the local population and Danes.
US Vice President J.D. Vance has arrived in Greenland for a controversial visit. US President Donald Trump's deputy landed at the American military base in Pituffik in the late afternoon (CET), as seen in live footage on CNN. He got off the plane together with his wife Usha.
The one-day visit on Friday to the US Space Force base in Pituffik on the northwest coast of the semi-autonomous territory of Denmark included a speech by Vance to local US soldiers, according to the vice president's office. US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright were part of Vance's delegation.
The Greenland visit was scaled back after an outcry from the local population and Danes. The reason for this was that the Americans' original travel program had been planned without first discussing it with Greenland and Denmark. There are tensions between Denmark and the US after US President Donald Trump expressed the opinion that the US should have control over mineral-rich Greenland.
"Unacceptable pressure"
According to US government sources, Vance wanted to argue during his visit that the Danish government had "mistreated the people of Greenland for decades". The Greenlanders were "treated like second-class citizens". The local infrastructure had been neglected. Vance has repeatedly criticized longtime European allies of the US for relying on military aid from Washington. This has raised concerns about the extent to which the USA can still be relied upon.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday that the visit from the US, which was originally scheduled to last three days, had created "unacceptable pressure". Frederiksen has stated that Denmark wants to cooperate with the USA on defense and security. However, Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people, she said.
Travel program changed after protests
Vance's wife Usha actually wanted to travel alone to the Avannaata Qimussersua dog sled race in Sisimiut. The Vice President then said he would accompany her. After protests from Greenland and Denmark, he changed his travel program, according to which the Vance couple will now only visit the military post. Shortly after arriving there on Friday, Vance said at a lunch with the soldiers that he was "very interested in Arctic security". "As you all know, it's a big issue and it's only going to get bigger in the coming decades."
Trump reiterated his desire for the US to control Greenland in an interview on Wednesday. When asked whether the people of Greenland were interested in becoming US citizens, Trump said he did not know. "But I think we have to do it and we have to convince them."
