Donald Trump Jr to visit Greenland, official says, after president-elect Trump suggests taking control of island

6 January 2025, 21:40 | Updated: 6 January 2025, 23:23

Donald Trump Jr is set to visit Greenland - days after his father Donald Trump floated taking control of the Arctic island.

Greenland's head of foreign affairs Mininnguaq Kleist said Mr Trump Jr would be arriving for a private visit on Tuesday, Danish broadcaster DR reported.

He added that there were no inquiries about a meeting with the island's government, while a source told Reuters the 47-year-old would be shooting video content for a podcast.

Mr Trump Jr's visit comes after his father repeated an earlier view that the US should own or control Greenland - an autonomous territory of Denmark - after winning the US election.

The president-elect had previously expressed interest in buying the island during his first term in the White House, and said in late December that "the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity".

Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede dismissed Mr Trump's suggestion, saying: "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom."

The world's largest island sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, is 80% covered by an ice sheet, and is home to a large US military base.

But, with a population of just 57,000, Greenland boasts mineral, oil and natural gas wealth. Global warming has been melting its ice and exposing rich reserves, which are reported to include uranium and rare earth elements.

Greenland gained autonomy from Denmark in 1979, but its economy is reliant on fishing and annual subsidies from Copenhagen.

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Hours after Mr Trump floated calls for the US to take ownership of the island, NATO member Denmark announced plans to boost defence spending for Greenland with a "stronger presence in the Arctic" by at least $1.5bn (£1.2bn).

It also comes after Denmark's King Frederik X updated his royal coat of arms - prominently featuring symbols of both Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

The Danish Royal Family said on its website that "the Faroe Islands and Greenland have each been given their own field, which strengthens the prominence of the Commonwealth".

Lars Hovbakke Sørensen, a royal family expert, told Danish news outlet TV2 that featuring the territories shows they "are part of the Danish realm, and that this is not up for discussion".

(c) Sky News 2025: Donald Trump Jr to visit Greenland, official says, after president-elect Trump suggests taking control of island