Greenland gears up to vote, Donald Trump ‘takeover’ offer looms large

The things that are happening in the world right now worry me quite a lot. That there is a world order that is faltering on many fronts, and perhaps a president in the United States who is very unpredictable in a way that makes people feel insecure."

In an interview with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) a day before elections in the Danish semi-autonomous territory, Múte B. Egede said

We deserve to be treated with respect, and I don't think the U.S. president has done that recently since he took office. I think that the recent things the American president has been doing means that people don't want to get as close to (the U.S.) as they might have wanted in the past,

he was quoted as saying by Reuters

We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America...One way or the other we're going to get it,

he added

We will continue to keep you safe, as we have since World War II. We are ready to invest billions of dollars to create new jobs and make you rich."

Trump reaffirmed that message in a Truth Social post early on Monday, writing

We need to draw a line in the sand and put more effort into (cultivating relations with) the countries that show us respect for the future we want to build,

said Egede, in comments aired a day before Greenland holds a general election

The most important thing for me in this election is that there’s so much talk about independence, but I really want to know: How

said Runa Sværd, a municipal planning chief in Nuuk

This election is a test of where Greenlanders see their future — both in their everyday lives and on the global stage,

Mr. Leander Nielsen said

We must be smart and not push for independence at the expense of our people,

said Bo Martinsen, a Demokraatit candidate

The election is shaped by what I would call a ‘cross-pressure’ — two competing narratives pulling in different directions,

said Rasmus Leander Nielsen, a political scientist at Ilisimatusarfik University in the capital, Nuuk

If a storm comes in and delays transport, we have to improvise,

said Klaus Georg Hansen, a former election official

The U.S. is here to stay,

Mr. Fencker said

We will make you rich.”

He has refused to rule out force, and in his recent speech to Congress, he made a direct plea to the Greenlanders themselves, promising

The conditions we live under don’t get enough attention. Instead, it’s all about that orange guy — Trump,

he said

It’s about us gaining full authority over our land,

he said

Greenland belongs to Greenlanders, no matter how many times the U.S. president claims he wants control over it,

Egede asserted

I believe we are facing a decisive election,

Egede said

I will not set a specific year for it, but in light of current events, all parties must come together and develop a solid plan for our shared vision of independence,

said the prime minister