Greenland can breathe a sigh of relief for now. US President Donald Trump does not intend to take over the island by military force. Or at least that's what he promised during the World Economic Forum in Davos. It is true that he still wants to buy Greenland, but the greatest fear of many Greenlanders – invasion of the United States — seems to have been averted for now.
Many people apparently has already become accustomed to Trump's threats. A live coverage of the speech was shown on a large LED screen in the city center, but it did not attract much attention. Many Greenlanders preferred to take care of their dinner. Others drank coffee before the speech: Last week, Café Pascucci hosted a sort of public viewing of the Washington summit — this time the TV was left off.
– I can't look at Trump anymore – the café owner tells Bild.
— Thank God, I don't want to go in with the army, that was my biggest worry, says 51-year-old Susan. What does he think about Trump's claim that they call him “Dad” at NATO? “He's not a dad, he's an idiot,” she adds.
“He's gone crazy”
– What nonsense, no one calls him that! says Soren, a 59-year-old banking consultant. The Greenlander followed the speech at work and is “pleased that [Trump] I don't want to use violence.” – I was really nervous – he adds. In his opinion, however, the president will not be able to buy Greenland. – Trump may take an iceberg with him to America – sums up Soren.
Lübeck-born Tim Jensen, who emigrated to Greenland 42 years ago, reacts angrily to Trump's speech. — Should we be grateful that Trump doesn't want to conquer us by force? He's gone crazy. He sounds like a crazy old man babbling to himself in a nursing home, he confesses.
Trump said several times in his speech he confused Greenland with Iceland. — Trump, that fool, got our islands wrong four times. Let's hope he doesn't make a mistake now and take ours, jokes taxi driver Asgeir at the airport in the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik.
Trump's behavior did not escape the attention of media from around the world. The mistake was pointed out to him by, among others, White House correspondent for the NewsNation television network, Libbey Dean. “During his speech, President Trump confused Greenland with Iceland about three times,” she wrote on the X website.
The dispute over Greenland
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt responded to the journalist's entry. She defended Trump. She denied that the US president had made a mistake, explaining that he called Greenland “a piece of ice, because that's what this island is.” “You're just mixing things up here,” she concluded.
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had achieved agreement on Greenlandcreating “a framework for a future agreement regarding the island, and indeed the entire Arctic region.” He also emphasized that his country does not plan military actions.
According to information obtained by the New York Times, which cites the words of three senior officials familiar with the matter, the agreement would assume a compromise under which “Denmark would transfer to the United States sovereignty over small fragments of the territory of Greenland, where the United States could build military bases,” we read.
