The leader of Greenland is unimpressed with President Donald Trump’s latest pitch to join the United States.
On Tuesday, Trump offered a message to the “incredible people of Greenland” during his joint address to Congress: “If you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”
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Greenland Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede wrote on social media following the speech, “We don’t want to be Americans, nor Danes; We are Kalaallit (Greenlanders).”
“The Americans and their leader must understand that. We are not for sale and cannot simply be taken,” he added. “Our future will be decided by us in Greenland.”
This is only the latest in a consistent series of rebukes against the White House’s machinations to absorb the island nation into the national union.
“We need Greenland for national security and even international security. And we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it,” Trump explained at his address. “But we need it really for international world security. And I think we’re going to get it. One way or the other, we’re going to get it.”
The president’s rhetoric surrounding the acquisition of the island ended with a softer tone, promising Greenlanders that the U.S. will “keep you safe” and “make you rich.”
“And together, we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before,” Trump said. “It’s a very small population but very, very large piece of land and very, very important for military security.”
Egede’s assertion that Greenland citizens do not want to be “Danes” highlights his administration’s hostile relationship with its mother country, the Kingdom of Denmark.
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King Frederik X updated his coat of arms late last year to display the images of a polar bear and a ram, symbols of the Danish territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, respectively, more prominently.
The redesign was interpreted by royal reporters as a clear gesture of unity with Greenland and a symbol of protection against American imperialism.