Donald Trump Jr. stepped foot in Greenland on Tuesday for a private visit amid his father, President-elect Donald Trump, calling for the U.S. to acquire the island.

Greenland’s government said in a statement that the visit by the president-elect’s eldest son would be “as a private individual” and not an official visit. He won’t meet with any officials.

Mr. Trump Jr. is reportedly there to shoot video for his podcast, but his visit heightens questions of whether his father is serious in pursuing Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. The president-elect has made similar comments about other areas as well, including retaking the Panama Canal and saying Canada should become the 51st state.

The son landed in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, and said he was “really excited to be here.”

“It looks like an incredible place; we’ve been talking about going for a while,” Mr. Trump Jr. told reporters. 

His father posted on Truth Social late Monday that he was “hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA.’”

The president-elect added, “My son, Don Jr, and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights. 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!”

In another post on Tuesday, he announced Mr. Trump Jr.’s arrival.

“The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen,” he wrote.

Greenland’s prime minister, Mute Egede, previously called for the island’s independence, but he also said it’s not for sale to the U.S.

Mr. Trump’s calls are a revival of similar sentiments he made during his first administration, which had officials from Denmark and Greenland rolling their eyes. When announcing his choice for U.S. ambassador to Denmark last month, he said that “for purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world … the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.