What do Greenlanders make of Donald Trump’s advances for their home?
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Though few welcome idea of being acquired by the US, status quo as part of Denmark is not universally popular. Greenland’s prime minister has called for unity and calm after Donald Trump reheated his global row with Nato allies on Tuesday, when the US president-elect said he was prepared to use tariffs or military force to seize control of Greenland.
![[Selfie of Ole Hjorth.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/428da387c8e3927c5df47dd8d9f876c625225400/0_8_900_1124/master/900.jpg?width=120&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The comments led the Greenlandic prime minister, Múte Egede, to say: “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.” The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, said on Thursday that the US seizure of Greenland is “not going to happen”, while Germany and France have warned Trump over annexation.
![[Portrait photo of Patrick Abrahamsen.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e7a472710e3e58dd1c1c9eedca5ad1391c29a6f4/0_391_2268_2833/master/2268.jpg?width=120&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
On Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr flew into the territory, which has a population of 57,000, pledging to “make Greenland great again”. Trump began the dispute in 2019, saying he was considering a bid for Greenland and describing it as “essentially a real estate deal”.
![[Selfie of Malina.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/33c98085ff75ea0a9cbb448db44d14b14c079e8d/0_0_1242_2208/master/1242.jpg?width=120&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
A Danish colony until 1953, Greenland is now a self-governing territory of Denmark and in 2009 achieved the right to claim independence through a vote. During the second world war Greenland was occupied by the US – while Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany – but it was returned to Denmark in 1945. The US maintains a military base in the north-west of the country.
![[Portrait photo of Hans-Peter Bay.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/63f1a84fb79efb401810738ca32d0179126b9fb5/0_0_1080_1086/master/1080.jpg?width=120&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Trump’s comments on acquiring or annexing Greenland come amid a debate around the territory’s potential independence from Denmark. Egede, the prime minister, supports independence, and a 2019 poll from academics at the University of Copenhagen found that 67.7% of Greenlandic adults wanted independence from Denmark at some point in the future.
![[Portrait photo of Frans H Petersen.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e10c4d4f5b69ea288db74eba846ec76f3a6b93e9/361_798_2060_2575/master/2060.jpg?width=120&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
