US Vice President JD Vance Stirs Controversy Over Greenland Visit in 2025
Trump's ally, Vance, set to arrive in Greenland amidst escalating fury over Trump's annexation attempt
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In a move that escalated geopolitical tensions, US Vice President JD Vance embarked on a tour of a US military base in Greenland in March 2025, a visit that left Danish and Greenlandic officials fuming, seeing it as a provocation amid President Donald Trump's bid to annex the Danish territory.
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National security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright were also expected to join the tour, according to reports that surfaced on Friday.
Trump had previously insisted in 2024 that the United States needed the vast Arctic island for national and international security, and had previously refused to rule out the use of force to get it [4].
"We have to have it," he said.
Greenlandic officials, backed by the European Union, maintained that such a takeover would not happen.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen earlier this week denounced plans by a US delegation to visit Greenland unilaterally -- for what was initially a much broader visit -- as "unacceptable pressure" on Greenland and Denmark.
Greenland's outgoing Prime Minister Mute B.Egede also criticized the visit, as did his expected successor following elections this month, Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
Nielsen said the visit showed a "lack of respect" for Greenland amid negotiations to form a new government, while Egede characterized it as "external interference".
The US visit, originally planned to include a dog sled race in Sisimiut, the capital Nuuk, was eventually reduced to the US-run Pituffik Space Base in the northwest of the island. This change came after reports of planned demonstrations against the United States in the two Greenlandic towns, as well as the rejection of Usha Vance's visit to the Nuuk Art Museum and her reception by local residents in the capital [1][2].
Rumors even suggested that protesters planned to sabotage the Space Base.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, however, hoped that Vance would get a good briefing on Greenland during his visit to Pituffik.
"Because the level of knowledge on this issue needs to be improved," Løkke told reporters in Copenhagen on Thursday.
"We do not recognize the impression that some people in American political circles seem to have, that Greenland is a place full of Chinese investments. As far as I know, there are none," he said [3].
Vance, who was to meet with US Space Force members at Pituffik, explained that he would be checking out what's going on with the security of Greenland [2]. His comments were met with anger from Danish leaders, including Frederiksen, who accused Vance of not knowing his facts [3].
In a drastic move, the commander of the U.S. Space Force base in Greenland was fired for undermining Vance's comments, specifically through an email that allegedly challenged the vice president's views on Denmark's defense of Greenland [2][4]. This incident only added fuel to the fire, further straining relations between the U.S. and Denmark.
The controversy did not end there. In response, a demonstration against the Trump administration's approach to Greenland was arranged in Copenhagen, with protesters expressing their solidarity with Greenland and condemning Trump's pursuit of the territory [1].
In recent developments, the "Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025" was proposed, aiming to rename Greenland if acquired by the U.S. [4], further fueling debates about American intentions in the region.
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- Source: TV2 Report
- Source: Vox Article
- Source: Global Citizen Article
- Source: CNN Article
- Source: House Republican Press Release
- US Vice President JD Vance's intended visit to Greenland's Pituffik Space Base in 2025 was reduced from a broader tour, following reports of planned demonstrations against the United States and rejection from local residents.
- Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen denounced the US delegation's unilateral visit to Greenland as "unacceptable pressure."
- Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's expected successor following elections this month, criticized the visit, saying it showed a "lack of respect" for Greenland amid negotiations to form a new government.
- In recent developments, the "Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025" was proposed, aiming to rename Greenland if acquired by the U.S., further fueling debates about American intentions in the region.
- Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen hoped that Vance would get a good briefing on Greenland during his visit, emphasizing the need to improve the level of knowledge on this issue.
- The commander of the U.S. Space Force base in Greenland was fired for undermining Vance's comments, further straining relations between the U.S. and Denmark.
