I go into more depth about Trump’s imperialist agenda vis-a-vis Greenland in my post New American Imperialism. Here I follow up with highlights and lowlights from Vice President JD Vance’s trip to Greenland.

This was not a visit of friendship. It’s unclear to me to what extent the Trump administration expected Greenlanders to buy that story. Trump isn’t stupid, so I’d say not much. Perhaps, by sending the Second Lady without the VP, they were trying to soften the message. I doubt this was a bid to woo Greenlanders.

Plan A

Originally, Usha Vance, Second Lady of the United States, was slated to head what I gather was supposed to be a goodwill trip of sorts, including an appearance at a dog sled race. There was pushback from the public and government of Greenland as well as Denmark. The original itinerary was abbreviated to be an appearance at Pituffik Space Base, with Mrs. Vance’s husband, Vice President JD Vance, added to spearhead the trip.

I’ve seen speculation that the Trump administration made the change to save face. Had they followed their plans for public appearances in Greenlandic society, there would have been the spectacle of protests, showing the world that the Greenlanders

• are not cowed.
• oppose becoming part of the US.

Apparently there’s some belief that the Trump administration thinks they can convince Americans, at least Trumpists, that Greenlanders want to join the US. That strikes me as a hard sell. I didn’t need to wait for footage of Greenlanders heckling Mrs. Vance at a dog sled race.

Vance’s remarks at Pituffik

You can watch JD Vance’s remarks at Pituffik Space Base in full here. Below I take quotes from the video and give my comments. (Note that I don’t have the time or patience to fact check all of Vance’s claims).

Vance’s speech:

• 7:23 We know that Russia and China and other nations are taking an extraordinary interest in Arctic passageways and Arctic naval routes and indeed in the minerals of the Arctic territories.
  This is very true. With global warming, the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has been decreasing for years, making previously icebound parts of the Arctic navigable, and for more of the year. This opens the possibility of shorter shipping routes. The US has ample reason to take an increasing interest in Greenland. The US has no reason to threaten Greenland’s sovereignty.
• 8:45 Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China, and from other nations.
  What incursions? Show your work. The 1951 Defense of Greenland agreement spells out that safeguarding Greenland’s security is a joint Danish/American endeavor.
• 9:55 Denmark hasn’t done a good job at keeping Greenland safe.
  From whom, an imperialist US president?
• 10:42 You [Denmark] have not done a good job by the people of Greenland, you have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change, and because it hasn’t changed, this is why President Trump’s policy in Greenland is what it is.
• 12:00 We believe in the self-determination of the population of the people of Greenland.
  As long as they choose to join the US? Trump pledged to acquire Greenland “one way or the other”.

Vance’s answers to journalists’ questions:

• 15:15 Vance softened Trump’s claim that “We have to have Greenland.” to “We do have to be more serious about the security of Greenland.”. This sounds like an overture to Greenlanders. One thrust of Vance’s remarks seemed to be that he was taking sides with the Greenlanders against their overlords in Denmark.
• 15:26 …we can’t ignore what I said earlier, which is the Russian and Chinese encroachment in Greenland.
  Show me, Mr. Vance. This is vague, and it could mean naval or air patrols near Greenland. This wording seems crafted to imply that Russia and China actually have a toehold in Greenland, which I highly doubt. The US and Denmark wouldn’t tolerate it, and Greenland is protected under NATO’s umbrella because Denmark is a NATO country.
• 16:25 We hope that they choose to partner with the United States because we’re the only nation on earth that will respect their sovereignty and respect their security.
  This is richly ironic. I do not need to tell you that the US is the country threatening Greenland’s sovereignty. It’s also another swipe at Denmark.

This speech is another instance of Vance’s in-your-face approach to intruding into the internal affairs of European allies, most notoriously captured in his speech at the Munich Security Conference.

Outwardly, this looks like a strategy by an expansionist country to sow internal division within another country to encourage a part of that country to break away and join the country pursuing expansion. I don’t know how much Vance’s remarks were directed at Greenlanders vs. directed at Americans, but this strategy has chilling parallels to Putin’s years-long strategy to peel away parts of Ukraine (the Donbas region, before he get impatient and launched the full scale invasion in 2022), Moldova, and Georgia (South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions). This is but one example of how Trump has adopted Putin’s playbook and methods.

Closing Remarks

Trump has pointedly refused to take military force off the table.

This is not the first unwelcome visit by Trump’s minions. Remember Donald Trump Jr.’s ostentatious arrival in Greenland on Trump Sr.’s plane in full Trump brand livery.

I stand in solidarity with the Greenlanders in unwelcoming advances from the Vances.