JD Vance’s comments on Denmark ‘not being a good ally’ resurface as his wife prepares to visit Greenland
Stressing that national security was at the forefront of debate, Vance attacked Denmark in February for ‘not doing its job and not being a good ally’
Vice President J.D Vance’s words attacking Denmark for not being a “good ally” have circulated online once again as he and his wife prepare to visit the world’s largest island this week.
Asked whether he believed the U.S. could acquire Greenland during an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo in February, Vance said: “I think it’s possible, Maria.”
“Here’s the thing which I think a lot of folks don’t appreciate about Greenland.
“It’s really important to our national security,” the vice president claimed.
Vance explained that there are “sea lanes” surrounding Greenland, used by the Chinese and the Russians. The former Ohio senator accused the Danish government of restricting U.S. access and, therefore, “not doing its job” and “not being a good ally.”
During the Fox News interview, which discussed several of Trump’s measures, Vance suggested that the only real solution to the national security issue was to take “more territorial interest in Greenland.”
He stressed that Trump would take the island if necessary, saying, “That is what President Trump is going to do because he doesn’t care about what the Europeans scream at us; he cares about putting the interests of American citizens first.”
However, Trump and Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute B. Egede have been at odds for weeks since the president declared “the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” in a Truth Social post in January.
Egede slammed the Trump administration for unleashing a “highly aggressive” approach after he sent a delegation of senior U.S. officials to the territory last week.
Vance also told Bartiromo that the people of Greenland “were not actually happy with [the] Danish government,” despite an opinion poll strongly suggesting the opposite. As The Guardian reported in January, 85 per cent of Greenlanders said they were against the possibility of becoming a U.S. territory.
Vance emphasized the U.S.’s desire to acquire Greenland’s rich natural resources, claiming the island was “an incredibly bountiful country.”
It was reported earlier this week that Second Lady Usha Vance would make a “charm” visit to the territory with the pair’s son Thursday “to visit historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage, and attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenlands’ national dogsled race,” according to a White House press release.
Vice President Vance announced on Tuesday that he would be joining the trip.
“We’re going to check out how things are going there,” Vance said in a video shared Tuesday. “Speaking for President Trump, we want to reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland because we think it’s important to protecting the security of the entire world.”
As a result of the former Ohio Senator’s presence, the schedule for the trip was changed and will no longer include attending the dogsled race.
Trump’s security adviser, Mike Waltz, has also been deployed on a trip to the island alongside U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
The pair reportedly visited the Pituffik Space Base, a longstanding US military installation on the island.
Egede lambasted the flurry of visits and furiously questioned in the Greenlandic press why they occurred in the first place.
“We are now at a level where it can in no way be characterized as a harmless visit from a politician's wife,” Egede said, as quoted in the newspaper Sermitsiaq Sunday.
“What is the national security adviser doing in Greenland? The only purpose is to demonstrate power over us,” Egede said.
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