Trump Appoints Special Envoy to Greenland

President Donald Trump said he has appointed a “great governor” to be his special envoy to Greenland.

In a post to Truth Social late Dec. 21, Trump said he was pleased to announce that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry was being appointed as U.S. special envoy to Greenland.

“Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World,” the president wrote. “Congratulations Jeff!”

The governor thanked Trump for the appointment in a post on X and said that the new role would not see him resign from his current position as governor.

“It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S.,” Landry said. “This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!”

Landry was elected in 2023 and assumed office on Jan. 8, 2024. His four-year term ends on Jan. 10, 2028, although he could run for a second term in the November 2027 election.

Trump has been warning ⁠over the ‍years that Greenland, a Danish territory that largely governs itself, should become part of the United States, citing security reasons and an interest in the island’s mineral resources.

The president previously cited Greenland’s zinc, gold, copper, and many other minerals—including an estimated 1.5 million tons of rare earth resources—to explain his interest in acquiring the world’s largest island.

Landry praised the idea ‌earlier this year.

“President Donald J. Trump is absolutely right!” Landry wrote in ⁠a Jan. 9 post on X. “We need to ensure that Greenland joins the United States. GREAT for them, GREAT for ‌us! Let’s get it done!”

Greenland and Denmark have consistently rejected the offer.

Trump said on Monday: “We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals … If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.

“We need it for national security. We have to have it,” he told reporters from Palm Beach, Florida.

He said that Landry wanted to “lead the charge.”

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded in a social media post: “We have woken up again to a new announcement from the U.S. president. This may sound big, but it does not change anything for us. We decide our own future.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Monday he would summon U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Howery, who he said had pledged “mutual respect” during a recent visit to Greenland.

“Out of nowhere, there is now a special U.S. presidential representative, who, according to himself, is tasked with taking over Greenland. This is, of course, completely unacceptable,” Rasmussen told TV2.

Earlier, Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian ⁠Motzfeldt had said that the U.S. comments about Greenland were creating uncertainty among locals.

“Our country and the United States have cooperated for 80 years based on common interests. There is a need to restore trust so we can continue good cooperation,” she told local daily news outlet Sermitsiaq on Dec. 8.

Greenland, a former Danish colony with a population of about 57,000, has the right to declare independence under a 2009 agreement but remains heavily reliant on fishing, Danish subsidies, and U.S. security.

Denmark has sought to repair strained ties with Greenland over the past year, while also trying to ease tensions with the Trump administration by investing in Arctic defence to address U.S. criticisms about its inadequate investment in security.

Separately, the Trump administration on Monday suspended the leases of five large offshore wind projects, among which two were being developed by Denmark’s state-controlled Orsted off the U.S. East Coast.

Foreign Investment

In an interview with the Financial Times published in May, Greenland’s minister for mineral resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, hinted at the possibility of turning to China for investment if the United States and Europe did not move fast enough.

“We want to develop our business sector and diversify it, and that requires investments from outside,” said Nathanielsen, who heads a four-party coalition government that came into power following a March election.

However, she expressed her government’s preference for working with “European and American partners” over China.

“But if they don’t show up, I think we need to look elsewhere,” she said.

China, which presently dominates global rare earth mining and processing, has also sought to develop Greenland’s rare earth resources.

Trump, during his first term, signed a minerals-related memorandum of understanding with Greenland, which was not extended under the Biden administration.

Nathan Worcester and Reuters contributed to this report.