‘He can dream’: Greenlandic lawmakers rebuff Trump’s takeover ambitions

​​​​​​​By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

NUUK, Greenland (AA) – Before going to the polls Tuesday in an election that has captured the international spotlight, Greenlandic politicians had a clear message for President Donald Trump: His desire to buy the island for the US will go no further than a “dream.”

Speaking to Anadolu on election day, local politicians from across the spectrum rejected Trump’s persistent vision of taking over the island, insisting that its future is a matter for Greenlanders alone.

Inge Olsvig Brandt, a candidate for the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, dismissed Trump’s ambitions outright, saying he should focus on his own country.

“Oh my God, yeah, President Trump,” Brandt reacted. “The man who is taking all the rights from his own people and from the indigenous people — he doesn't belong to Greenland at all,” she said.

“I think he should be staying in United States and do what he can do to work for his own. They need it. We don’t. We don’t need him here.”

Since the start of his second term in January, Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, claiming it critical to maintaining security for the US “and even international security.”

Trump’s Greenland ambitions are not just about Arctic dominance but also the increasing accessibility of the island’s natural wealth.

The island — spanning over 2 million square kilometers (roughly 800,000 square miles) — is rich in rare minerals crucial for high-tech industries, including nickel, cobalt, and copper, in addition to its vast oil and gas potential.

- Too soon for independence

Voters on the world’s biggest island surprised many as the results came in Wednesday with a surge in support for opposition parties Demokraatit and Naleraq, upending the political status quo previously dominated by the ruling coalition of Inuit Ataqatigiit and Siumut.

Amid Trump’s pressure, independence was high on the political agenda ahead of the polls, with all four of these parties supporting the idea, though they disagree on the timing. While Demokraatit argues for a measured transition, Naleraq is the most aggressively pro-independence.

Brandt also weighed in on the prospect of an independence vote to break away from Denmark, saying such a move would be premature.

“We have too many issues to work on. But, of course, independence is an issue that we have been working on for many, many years. But I don’t see an independent Greenland for the next, I don’t know how many years.”

Chita, an Inuit Ataqatigiit secretary overseeing the elections, believes Trump’s remarks should not even be entertained.

“I don’t think we should take him very seriously,” she said, arguing that the US president’s remarks should not even be part of the conversation.

“This election is about our future. It’s not about Denmark. It’s not about America … It’s not about Donald Trump,” she said, expressing her frustration.

The only thing that matters is “the future of Greenland and the Greenlandic people.”

- Trump ‘very aggressive toward Greenland’

Lawmaker Bentiaraq Ottosen, who ran again on the ticket of Attasut — the only party of the five in parliament that opposes independence — was equally dismissive of Trump’s aspirations.

Greenland is not interested in the US “because Donald Trump is very aggressive (and) offensive to Greenland,” he said.

Ottosen was referring to Trump’s recent speech in which he declared that the US would take Greenland “one way or the other.”

He also reaffirmed his party’s stance on ties with the Kingdom of Denmark, saying Attasut has always argued that Greenland should “stay in the realm of Denmark, and be stronger in realm of Denmark.”

“We know, in the future, Greenland must be an independent country, but not now. We are not ready.”

- ‘We have already experienced colonialism’

Doris J. Jensen, a former minister of health and longtime lawmaker from the Siumut party who also served in the Danish parliament, described Trump’s approach as “a bit crazy.”

“It's a little bit crazy, because we live in a democratic country with our democratic values,” she said.

“It's not acceptable that he wants to own our country and he wants to have control of our country.

“We have our own parliament, and we have our own ministry, and I think we have already experienced colonialism from Denmark, and we don't want to experience that again from the US.”

CT Sigmundsen of Naleraq summed up the prevailing sentiment among Greenlandic politicians: “He (Trump) can dream, but we want to take our own country, of course, not from Denmark or not from America.

“We want to be Greenland and Greenlanders.”