Trump's Greenland push boosts Danish PM Frederiksen's poll numbers
Photo: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (Getty Images)
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's ratings have skyrocketed amid her public and diplomatic standoff with US President Donald Trump, who previously threatened to annex Greenland, Politico reports.
The center-left Social Democratic Party of Frederiksen recorded a noticeable increase in support in January, just a few months after disastrous results in local elections. Analysts cite strong defense of Denmark's sovereignty in response to Trump's aggressive statements as a key factor.
According to a poll conducted by the consulting company Megafon on January 20-22 among more than a thousand respondents, the Social Democrats gained 22.7% support, which corresponds to 41 seats in parliament. For comparison, at the beginning of December, the party was predicted to win only 32 seats.
Although the ruling coalition does not yet have an absolute majority, the Social Democrats are once again becoming the largest political force in parliament, regaining their key role in forming the government.
The rise in ratings is particularly significant given the defeat of Frederiksen's party in the municipal elections in November, when it lost control of Copenhagen for the first time in a century.
Coalition partners also gained support
Coalition partners also saw an improvement in their positions. The Moderates Party, led by Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, almost tripled its support from 2.2% to 6.4%. Another poll, published by the Voxmeter institute, showed overall support for the government at 40.9%, the highest level in two years.
Political analysts attribute the surge in support to the so-called rally around the flag effect.
How Danish prime minister defended Greenland
Mette Frederiksen immediately began defending the position of Denmark and Greenland, not to agree to the island's accession to the US after Trump's statements and claims.
At first, she called on the American president to stop his threats, but then took more decisive action—Copenhagen appealed to its NATO allies to defend its autonomous territory, Greenland. They began conducting military exercises and preparing for a possible military confrontation.
Even when Trump came up with the idea of buying Greenland, Frederiksen made it clear that the island was not for sale, nor was its population, to whom the US President wanted to give a million dollars each for joining the United States.
The parties are currently negotiating on Greenland with a view to not violating its sovereignty and that of Denmark. The US and Copenhagen, as well as representatives of the island, are trying to agree on strengthening defense in the Arctic, in order to allay Trump's fears about Russia or China conquering this territory.
