Trump’s threats fuel Greenland’s independence movement

Inunnguaq Jensen asks for a cigarette from every smoker he sees on the streets of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. When they offer him a light as well as tobacco, he shyly explains that he prefers to save it for later. The young man maintains that until a few days ago he had never been interested in politics. “On Tuesday I will vote for the first time,” he says with a certain pride. “I am not yet sure which party I will vote for, but I will vote for one that is clearly pro-independence. There are very few of us here, but we have a lot of minerals, gas and oil to exploit, as well as fishing,” he explains. “We could be tremendously rich. I would have a permanent job and could even buy cigarettes,” says Jensen, 23, who has never left Nuuk.

Tuesday’s parliamentary elections in Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, have captured the attention of not only new voters like Jensen but also half the world. Donald Trump’s renewed interest in annexing the island — the largest on the planet — to the United States, “one way or the other,” as he declared last week in his first speech to Congress of his second presidential term, has drawn unprecedented media attention to Greenland, which is home to just 57,000 people. And Trump’s expansionist ambitions, combined with the island’s tense relationship with Copenhagen, have fueled a surge in pro-independence sentiment in recent weeks.

Five of the six Greenlandic parties in the race support independence; the main debate is not whether to break from Denmark, but when and how. In Nuuk, it is difficult to find a person who supports maintaining ties with Copenhagen, but even fewer support becoming the 51st state of the world’s leading superpower. A recent survey, funded by the Danish newspaper Berlingske and the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq, found that 85% of the population firmly rejects joining the United States, while only 6% are clearly in favor.

Trump’s supporters on the island — one of the most remote, unspoiled, and inhospitable places in the world — are few, but some have become well-known figures. Jorgen Boassen, a 50-year-old bricklayer with a rough beard and stocky build, has passionately defended the controversial president since he first arrived at the White House in 2017. “I’ve been insulted countless times and even received death threats, but I won’t be intimidated,” he says at Nuuk High School, just before the final election debate. “Even so, I’m getting more and more messages of support, even from the smallest and most distant villages.”

Like many Greenlanders, Boassen is of mixed Danish and Inuit descent. He traveled to Washington in January to attend Trump’s inauguration and, in October, campaigned for the Republican in Pennsylvania, knocking on doors in the key swing state. Boassen believes that Trump’s interest in Greenland — the president has repeatedly said that “ownership and control” of the giant frozen island is “an absolute necessity” for the United States — offers Greenland “its best bargaining chip with Denmark.”

Boassen wasn’t the only Greenlander present at Trump’s second inauguration. He was joined by Kuno Fencker, a controversial figure who has shaken up the island’s political landscape in recent weeks. In mid-February, just before the deadline to register candidates, Fencker left Siumut — the Social Democratic party that has dominated Greenlandic politics for decades — to join Naleraq, a populist, staunchly pro-independence party. His partner, 28-year-old Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam — 22 years his junior — resigned from her seat in the Danish Parliament and also left Siumut to join Naleraq.

“Both parties in the governing coalition — Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit — only pay lip service to independence,” Fencker says, sitting in a pizzeria in central Nuuk. He is confident that his new party will achieve a strong result on Tuesday. “We will only govern with parties that are ready to start the independence process now,” he says. Naleraq has recently strengthened its ranks, not only with Fencker and Høegh-Dam but also with Qupanuq Olsen, Greenland’s leading social media influencer, who boasts nearly 1.5 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Greenland was a colony administered by Copenhagen from the 18th century until 1953, when it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenlanders became Danish citizens. In 2009, Copenhagen granted the island broad self-government powers, although defense, foreign and monetary policy remained under Danish control. The Statute of Autonomy recognizes Greenland’s right to self-determination, and Paragraph 21 sets out the steps to be taken if the Greenlandic Parliament initiates the process. First, an agreement would have to be reached with Copenhagen on the terms of separation; then, Greenlanders must approve it via referendum; finally, the Danish Parliament must give its consent.

At -10°C, amid heavy snowfall, Oliver Bech, the youngest candidate in this election at just 19, is handing out campaign leaflets in the heart of Nuuk. A high school student who works as a pub bouncer on weekends, he is running on the Social Democrat Siumut ticket. In early January, when Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, made a brief visit to Greenland in coordination with Boassen, Bech’s curiosity was piqued. He decided to visit a local bar where Trump Jr. was offering free food and drinks to anyone who joined him.

“It was grotesque,” Bech recalls. Upon arrival, he noticed that most of the attendees at the open bar, funded by Trump, were “homeless people or individuals with serious social issues.” Some did not even understand English; others had no idea who their generous host was. With a tone that straddled promise and threat, Trump Jr. assured them: “We are going to treat you very well.” Among the guests, Bech also spotted Timmy Zeeb, who had been sentenced in 2019 to four years in prison for cannabis trafficking. In a video recorded by Trump’s entourage — which has since amassed over 10 million views online — Zeeb urged the U.S. president to annex Greenland.

“I was the only one who told Trump Jr. to his face that we do not want to be part of the United States,” says Bech. A few days later, a group of Trump-supporting YouTubers arrived in Greenland, handing out caps, T-shirts, and $100 bills (€92) to locals.

Natural resources

None of Greenland’s political parties openly support annexation by the United States. However, some —like Naleraq — favor strengthening ties with Washington once independence is achieved in order to develop natural resources and establish a bilateral security and defense agreement. For now, economic ties between Greenland and the U.S. are expected to strengthen in June when United Airlines launches a direct route between New York and Nuuk. Currently, the Arctic island is only accessible via Denmark and Iceland.

Greenland’s main parties disagree on what relations with Denmark should look like in an independent future. Some advocate cutting all ties, while others see Denmark remaining Greenland’s primary trading partner. Copenhagen currently provides Nuuk with an annual subsidy of around €520 million, covering roughly half of Greenland’s public budget. Nearly 50% of Greenland’s exports go to Denmark, while over 55% of its imports come from the former colonial power.

Bo Martinsen, a candidate for Demokraatit (a liberal party), would like to see Greenland become a member state of the United Nations — which would make it the world’s 12th largest country by land area and ninth-smallest by population. However, he believes self-determination is premature. “We still have many steps to take before our economy can stand on its own without Copenhagen’s subsidies,” he says over coffee. Martinsen sees mining and hydrocarbon extraction as pillars of Greenland’s future economy but insists that any transition must happen gradually and “on Greenland’s terms.”

Martinsen rejects the idea of U.S. annexation outright. “It’s absurd to try to break away from Denmark only to be colonized by a more aggressive power,” he argues. While acknowledging past tensions, he believes Greenland’s relationship with Copenhagen in recent decades “has not been as bad as many think.” He insists an independent Greenland would be more prosperous if it maintained good ties with Denmark. “My father came here from Denmark and my mother was Greenlandic. I am proud of my origins and I refuse to have to repudiate a part of my identity,” he says.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition