We have had some fun with Greenland ever since Trump brought the subject up shortly after trouncing the cackling coconut and her lumpy, dumpy, dopey running mate in November.
It's also been a learning experience once the initial giggles wore off and people took time to look at a map, especially once it became clear that, just like the Panama Canal, this was not a bone Trump was going to let go of now that he'd sunk his teeth into it.
Greenlanders were kind of bemused at first, hosting Don Jr and a bunch of friends prior to the inauguration.
The French got involved. They offered to send troops to the island in a show of force to help Denmark defend its territorial claims to an island it had formerly paid little attention to, security or otherwise, until Trump started making noises, forcing them into action and umbrage.
The Danish Royal family redesigned their coat of arms to make the polar bear gracing it bigger, to emphasize how important Greenland suddenly was to them.
In the middle of this month, Greenlanders went to the polls and delivered an upset to the ruling party, effectively ousting their prime minister, with the center-right Demokraatit claiming the victory.
...The two winning parties, Demokraatit and Naleraq, are both measured independence parties, but Naleraq has a distinctly favorable Trump inclination. Not to be American-owned, mind you, but American-style.
As in parliamentary systems, that meant negotiations to form a government. This can take months in Europe, but it was announced this morning that they'd already come to terms, coincidentally, just hours before a scheduled visit by Vice President Vance and his wife Usha, along with a US delegation.
Greenland presented a new government coalition agreement on Friday, just hours before a visit by U.S. Vice President JD Vance to the Arctic island that President Donald Trump has expressed interest in acquiring.
The new majority government will be headed by Democrats leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who had urged parties to set aside disagreements and form a broad coalition to show unity amid Trump’s campaign to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
The pro-business Democrats, who favour gradual independence from Denmark, emerged as the biggest party, tripling their representation to 10 seats in a March 11 general election.
Planning that Vance visit has been fraught with such drama you'd think they were going to into a combat zone...or trying to create one.
What conflict exists has been created by all the outraged bluster surrounding the Greenland gambit, and granted, Trump's off-the-cuff hyperbole doesn't help a bit.
But holy smokes.
There has been plenty of spazzing on the part of some of the formerly friendly natives, like this lurid account from the Telegraph of doors being basically slammed in US faces as they went house to house begging for someone to be nice to Usha.
Vance’s team ‘pleading with Greenland residents’ to meet VP and wife
Changes have been made to Usha Vance’s itinerary as attempts to engage with residents fall flat
US representatives canvassed door-to-door in Greenland as part of a “charm offensive” to sound out whether residents would welcome a visit from Usha Vance, it has been claimed.
The second lady and one of her sons had been set to visit the Danish territory this week after Donald Trump continued to inflame tensions by announcing it should come under US control.
Ahead of her visit, staffers reportedly spent a week traipsing around Nuuk, the capital city, to gauge the feeling among residents.
“The Americans’ charm offensive mission has failed,” Jesper Steinmetz, a reporter for TV 2, said.
...It comes after Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister, accused the US of putting “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland and Denmark.
Mr Vance’s visit, which was initially set to include Mike Waltz, was branded “aggressive” by Greenland’s prime minister.
They canceled Usha waving a flag to start a dogsled race, visiting a 'community,' all sorts of petty little snubs.
No wonder JD changed his schedule to go with her - who wouldn't want to be with his wife in that situation just in case, you know?
Compared to the welcome Don Jr got, it has me very suspicious about the level of outside agitation, too. I mean, when he was in Nuuk this past January and everyone was going wild for them, Trump had already been talking about Greenland for months.
So what changed?
The level of hyperbole for sure. We were floored at resident agitator Holly Williams on the CBS Evening News last night, reporting from Nuuk ahead of the Vance's arrival.
I'm assuming there've been plenty of others like her on the island since Trump was inaugurated, ploughing that fertile ground.
Greenland vows to resist U.S. takeover by Trump administration
Well, gosh - when you phrase it like that...
The broadcast opened by reminding everyone that Trump was a 'real estate developer' who has had his eye on Greenland for a long time. Then it hands over to Williams.
Some of the rhetoric?
- Greenland's people have been 'swept up in President Trump's territorial ambitions'
- As the US and Russia vie for military dominance in the Arctic, Trump wants to take control of Greenland for 'for security reasons and he's refused to RULE OUT FORCE'
- On negotiating with the US as an independent Greenland, 'We asked if he was being naive.'
- 'What if President Trump doesn't respect your sovereignty?'
- 'What if he SENDS IN TROOPS TO TAKE GREENLAND BY FORCE?'
Good lord. Talk about leading and loaded.
Williams said they had a hard time finding people willing to speak to them on camera because they were anxious and suspicious - oh, brilliantly done, 'journalist.'
Why wouldn't they be, judging by how Williams basically called Legislator Kuno Fencker a fool when he reasonably said he believed Trump's bluster 'was part of his tactics,' even as Williams tried to intimidate him with her bogeyman scenarios.
But that's where we are right now.
However, the Vance trip remained scheduled and was trimmed down to visiting our Space Force installation up there, Pituffik Space Base, and they all got there earlier today.
It's still kind of a hoot.
🚨 NOW: Vice President Vance and the Second Lady have just arrived in GREENLAND
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 28, 2025
The USA will LIBERATE Greenlanders from the Kingdom of Denmark! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/IQuOm4IFd0
And there was JD again, in another chow hall. That makes two days in a row.
Well… It’s Cold as Sh*t in Greenland 🇺🇸😆pic.twitter.com/aN3g07a4Q7
— Beard Vet (@Beard_Vet) March 28, 2025
I'll give it to him, though - he sure knows how to break the ice with the troops, even when he's interrupting chow.
While at the base, Vance made the case for self-determination for Greenland, with closer US and Greenland ties...
.@VP: "Why does Greenland matter so much? -- We know that Russia and China and other nations are taking an extraordinary interest in Arctic passageways, Arctic naval routes, and in the minerals of the Arctic territories. We need to ensure America is leading in the Arctic." pic.twitter.com/KVZeVxTbtW
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 28, 2025
...even as Trump was releasing his own bit of US-Greenland history propaganda.
Trump posts video showing the historic relationship between the US and Greenland going back to WWII pic.twitter.com/xeuNXqHV4P
— TaraBull (@TaraBull808) March 28, 2025
It's not so much a charm offensive anymore as a full-court press.
Maybe that's what's got the 'journalists' so worried.
That there are still rational people like Kuno Fencker, whom they haven't managed to frighten on the island, who want to work things out for themselves.
And who would just appreciate a little peace and quiet to do it in.
