“Mr Trump, f— off.” were the words Danish Member of the European Parliament Anders Vistisen used, in front of the other members on January 21st to publicly answer the U.S president’s request of buying Greenland from Denmark emphasising once more that the landmass that has been part of Denmark for over 800 years is not for sale.
During a meeting at the European parliament in Strasbourg, France, , MEP Anders Vistisen who represents the far-right party in Denmark told president Trump in a speech “Dear President Trump, listen very carefully Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It’s an integrated part of our country.” Vistisen followed-up “It is not for sale. Let me put it into words you might understand. Mr Trump, f— off.” The danish politician’s words were not well received by everyone leading him to be called out right away by European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Ștefănuță who told Vistisen that
“If the translation was correct, the term you used is not allowed in this House, and there will be consequences to the message you have used”
“It is not OK in this House of Democracy. Regardless of what we think of Mr. Trump, it is not possible to use such language.” he continued.
Following the Danish politician’s speech, the American president reiterated his wish to buy Greenland stating “We need it for international security. And I’m sure that Denmark will come along — it’s costing them a lot of money to maintain it, to keep it,”
“People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it. But if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security—that’s for the free world.”
“You have Russian boats all over the place, you have China’s boats all over the place — warships — and they (Denmark) can’t maintain it.” Trump said
It is not the first time Donald Trump has expressed his desire to seize the giant island. In 2019 Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had already answered to one of the president’s proposals stating the territory is not for say, calling it ‘absurd’ and leading president Trump to cancel an upcoming visit to Denmark. Shortly before his second inauguration, Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of U.S. president, led a small delegation to visit Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. During the visit, he met with members of the public and reportedly hosted a luncheon. PM Frederiksen reacted and told the U.S president once again that the land is not for sale and it is up to Greenland to determine its future.
Greenland Prime Minister Múte B. Egede also reacted to these statements saying “The Greenlandic people must make it clear what they want to be. We are Greenlanders, we do not want to be Danes. We do not want to be Americans.”
The Danish autonomous territory, has long exercised self-governance over domestic affairs, with Denmark handling defense and international relations. However, Greenlandic politicians are increasingly exploring the possibility of declaring independence.
