President-elect Donald Trump posted a video to his social media platform Truth Social on Monday of a convicted drug dealer purchasing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat in Greenland.
"I am hearing that the people of Greenland are 'MAGA,'" Trump's post read. "Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!"
Newsweek has reached out to Trump's transition team for comment, who responded by asking which specific video Trump had posted.
Why It Matters
Trump's post was centered around his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., visiting Greenland. The President-elect has suggested in the past that the United States should buy Greenland, which is an autonomous territory that has been part of Denmark for more than 600 years.
Former President Harry Truman offered to purchase Greenland from Denmark in 1946 for $100 million in gold.
Greenland has access to the Arctic, where international competition has risen in recent years as nations race to claim northern territory in the hopes of accessing natural resources abundant in the region such as gold, silver, copper and uranium.
The U.S. has considered acquiring Greenland several times in the past, with the most recent attempt in 2019, when Trump first brought up the idea. Greenland's capital, Nuuk, is closer to New York than the Danish capital Copenhagen.
What To Know
Danish media outlet DR News reported that Trump's video features Timmy Zeeb, who has a "long list of convictions behind him." In 2019, Zeeb was sentenced to four years in prison in one of the country's largest cannabis cases.
Ten years prior, Zeeb was known for "crimes that were dangerous to people." DR News reported that Zeeb had escaped from prison at the time.
In the 30-second video, Zeeb is asked what he would tell Trump if he could tell him anything.
"Buy us," Zeeb said. "Buy Greenland because we don't want to be colonized by Danish government anymore."
Zeeb shared that he loves America. He told DR News that he met with Trump's campaign "by chance" and that he "does not believe that his criminal past is something that disqualifies him from having an opinion on whether Greenland should be purchased by the United States." He told DR News that he "spoke [his] mind."
The video has been shared over 9,200 times and liked by 36,000 people. There are 2,380 comments at the time of writing as well.
Two weeks ago, President-elect Trump posted to Truth Social that "the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."
Greenland's prime minister, Múte Bourup Egede, responded to Donald Trump's remarks in a statement saying, "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale, and we will never be for sale. We must not lose our long fight for freedom."
In 2019, Trump told reporters, "We're very good allies with Denmark. We protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world. So, the concept [of being interested in buying Greenland] came up and I said, 'Certainly I'd be.' Strategically, it's interesting and we'd be interested, but we'll talk to them a little bit. It's not number one on the burner, I can tell you that."
After his comments were widely criticized by Danish officials, Trump announced he was canceling his scheduled meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who called Trump's suggestion "an absurd discussion."
A source familiar with the trip told Newsweek on Monday that Donald Trump Jr., 46, has no meetings scheduled with the Greenlandic government and that he is there for a "quick day-long trip to shoot some fun video content for a podcast."
What People Are Saying
Rasmus Brun Pedersen, an associate professor of international politics at Denmark's Aarhus University, told DR News: "I doubt he has been checked. It seems a bit unfortunate, to say the least. But perhaps an expression of what has been able to be scraped up at very short notice. I don't have the impression that facts, research and background checks, and normal ethical principles have played a major role in how Trump campaigns."
Trump during a Tuesday afternoon press conference at Mar-a-Lago: "We need Greenland for national security purposes. I've been told that for a long time, long before I even ran. People have been talking about it for a long time. You have approximately 45,000 people there [the actual figure is over 56,000]. People don't really even know if Denmark has a right to it. But if they do, they should give it up. We need it for national security. That's for the free world. I'm talking about protecting the free world. You don't even need binoculars. You look outside; you see China ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We're not letting that happen … The people are probably going to vote for independence or to come into the United States."
Donald Trump, Jr. on X: "Greenland coming in hot … well, actually, really really cold!!!!"
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk on X: "The youth of Greenland love America and they love Trump. Let's go!!"
What Happens Next
In his New Year speech last week, Egede intensified the call for independence from Denmark, asserting that the island must liberate itself from "the shackles of colonialism" and determine its own destiny.
Notably, he did not mention the United States in his address.
English (US) ·