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JD Vance, wife Usha revise Greenland visit plan amid Donald Trump's takeover ambitions
Trump has expressed interest in making Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, a part of the US since his reelection in November.
US Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance have revised their travel plans for Greeland this week, and will now visit the US’s isolated military base in the far northwest of the Danish semi-autonomous island.
According to a Bloomberg report, Vance and the Second Lady will be briefed on Arctic security issues and meet with US service members.
Stops in populated areas Nuuk and Sisimiut, where locals had warned of anti-US demonstrations, are now dropped, the report added.
Greenland is massive — about one-fifth the size of the United States or three times the size of Texas.
Its land mass is part of North America, and its capital city is closer to New York than to Copenhagen.
Denmark colonised Greenland 300 years ago and still exercises control over foreign and defense policy, though Greenland won self-rule in 1979 and runs itself through its parliament.
ALSO READ: Trump appears to forget Usha Vance's name while talking about her Greenland visit, ‘…wife of our great Vice President’
The updated itinerary represents somewhat of a retreat of an initially planned three-day visit with participation of a full US delegation including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
ALSO READ: Greenlanders fear Trump's control threatens their independence amid Arctic tensions
Vance, who wasn’t originally scheduled to participate, said he didn’t want his wife “to have all that fun by herself so I’m going to join her,” according to a video posted on X.
“I think it’s very positive that the Americans cancel their visit to the Greenlandic society. Instead, they’re visiting their own base, Pituffik, and we have nothing against that," Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Denmark’s foreign minister, told broadcaster DR.
ALSO READ: US visit to Greenland is unacceptable, says Danish prime minister
The changed plans will be “a relief for many people” on the island, Masaana Egede, the head of local media Sermitsiaq, said in his newspaper.
Trump's Greenland takeover ambitions
On March 24, Donald Trump doubled down on his suggestion that the US should take over Greenland.
"I think Greenland is going to be something that maybe is in our future," Reuters quoted Trump as saying.
Trump said his administration was working with "people in Greenland" who want something to happen, but did not elaborate.
"They're calling us," he said. "We're not calling them."
Trump has made the US annexation of Greenland a major talking point since his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., paid a private visit to the vast, mineral-rich island in January.
