The news that Donald Trump Jr was about to visit Nuuk felt like a flashback to almost six years ago, when his father, Donald Trump, famously floated the idea of buying Greenland. At the time, I had just moved back to Nuuk after finishing film school in Denmark. I remember working on the production of a segment for a travel series by the comedian Conan O’Brien. He came to Nuuk to film an episode poking fun at the idea of Trump buying us.
This time, there’s no late-night comedian in sight, and the next president of the United States has just refused to rule out using military force to take control of my country. Instead of poking fun at the latest US intervention, I found myself in my kitchen with four other women, planning a demonstration against Denmark’s practice of removing Inuit children from their families.
Rumours were already spreading about Trump Jr’s visit. Some said he had been spotted walking through town with Greenland’s foreign affairs minister. That turned out to be false, but it didn’t stop the Danish media from bombarding me with messages. “What do you think about Donald Trump Jr’s visit to Nuuk?” they all asked.
At first, we laughed. One of us joked: “Is he single?” We Googled him and scrolled through headlines about scandals and controversies – something about a vaccine conspiracy theory, hunting trophies and political interventions. He didn’t seem particularly fascinating, and yet his presence here felt oddly significant.
On a serious note, the visit served as a stark reminder of something crucial: Greenland matters to the world’s biggest powers. The country’s strategic importance stems from its location in the Arctic, hosting key military bases and valuable natural resources, and its role in emerging global trade routes as climate breakdown opens up previously inaccessible areas. The US, China, Canada and Russia are all watching us. This is a reality we cannot ignore.
Paradoxically, Donald Trump Sr may have done us a favour back in 2019 when he publicly expressed interest in buying Greenland. It shone an unprecedented global spotlight on our country. Now, his son’s visit has reignited that attention. And while I don’t believe for a second that the Trump family has Greenland’s best interests at heart, this international attention presents an opportunity for our independence movement.
I’ve received countless messages from around the world from people I’ve never met, urging me: “Don’t make any deals with the Trumps.” While I appreciate their concern, the underlying tone is frustratingly condescending. It’s as if they assume we, as Inuit, are oblivious to the complexities of global politics. Let me be clear: we are not naive. Greenland has competent leaders who are fully aware of what’s at stake. No one is about to sell off our land for an American adventure – or at least, that’s what I choose to believe.
But here’s what I wonder: do people outside Greenland even realise we are still governed by Denmark? Do they know that our political landscape is primarily socialist, with a few socially liberal voices? Do they understand the values that guide us as a people? One of these is a commitment to generosity and sharing that values collective wellbeing over individual prosperity – such as when a hunter successfully brings back a catch and the food is distributed among the entire community rather than being kept for personal gain. They are principles that stand in contrast to the individualistic and profit-driven ethos often associated with US and western cultures.
I suspect the answer to all these questions is “no”.
What frustrates me even more is the selective outrage. The US already has a military presence in Greenland. Its base in Pituffik (previously Thule) was established during the second world war, without the consent of Inuit people, after a Danish ambassador unilaterally “leased” our land to the US. That colonial overreach has never been properly addressed.
So, when Donald Trump Jr said after his visit that people in Greenland are tired of being “treated like second- or third-class citizens” by Denmark, I couldn’t disagree. It’s true. Denmark’s refusal to participate in a reconciliation commission back in 2014 was a missed opportunity. The cracks in our relationship are widening, and Greenland is steadily moving towards independence. In 2023, for example, Greenland’s government presented its first draft constitution.
What the Trump Jr visit has shown me is that Denmark’s grip on Greenland is slipping. It has been breaking news on most of Denmark’s TV channels. Its attempts to keep us in check – politically, economically and socially – are no longer working as they once did. And while the motives of outside powers such as the US may not align with our own, their attention does give us leverage.
Let me be clear: Greenland is not for sale. But nor are we happy with the status quo. Our dreams of independence are not just dreams; they are plans in motion. And every time the world looks our way, we have an opportunity to tell our story on our own terms. For that, I am grateful – even to Donald Trump Jr.