Greenland residents reject joining US
Photo: Greenland residents rejected Trump (Getty Images)
The vast majority of Greenland's population opposes leaving Denmark, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump's persistent claims about the island's desire to join the United States, Bloomberg reports.
A survey by Verian, commissioned by the Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenland’s publication Sermitsiaq, revealed that 85% of the population of the self-governing Arctic territory does not want to be part of the US. Only 6% expressed a preference for the US, while 9% remained undecided.
Trump insisted that he wanted to acquire the world's largest island for security reasons and refused to rule out the use of force. He also claimed that Greenland's population would prefer to be part of the US. His interest in the territory dates back to his first term in office.
“The people of Greenland are not happy with Denmark,” Trump said on January 21. “You know, I think they’re happy with us.”
However, Greenland’s leaders do not share this view, with many seeking independence instead. While the island remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, its 57,000 residents enjoy extensive home rule.
“We don’t want to be Danish, we don’t want to be American, we of course want to be Greenlandic,” the local Prime Minister, Mute B. Egede, said recently.
“Trump shouldn’t have Greenland,” said Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Denmark’s Foreign Minister. “Greenland is Greenland. The Greenlandic people are a people also in the sense of international law,” and they ultimately determine their situation.
The poll included 497 online interviews conducted between January 22 and 26, with a representative sample of Greenlandic citizens aged 18 and older. The statistical uncertainty of the responses is approximately 3.1 percentage points.
The survey also found that 45% of Greenlanders view Trump's interest in Greenland as a threat. Only about 8% would choose US citizenship if they had to make an immediate choice between Danish and American citizenship.
Meanwhile, Denmark is doing everything possible to manage the situation with Trump. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen sought support from European allies, embarking on a whirlwind tour of Berlin, Paris, and Berlin again, aiming to demonstrate unity while avoiding further escalation.
