In a sharp diplomatic rebuke, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has publicly called upon the United States to cease what she termed ‘threatening’ behavior towards Greenland. This condemnation follows a series of provocative statements from Washington regarding the strategic Danish autonomous territory.
The tension escalated when President Donald Trump, in an interview with The Atlantic magazine published Sunday, reaffirmed his administration’s interest in Greenland, stating, ‘we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense.’ This comment came just one day after a controversial U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
Further inflaming the situation, Katie Miller—spouse of Stephen Miller, a senior White House advisor and key architect of Trump’s policies—shared a contentious image on social media platform X. The post depicted Greenland’s map overlaid with the colors and stars of the American flag, captioned with the single word: ‘SOON.’
Prime Minister Frederiksen characterized the notion of U.S. control over Greenland as ‘absolutely absurd’ and urged Washington to respect its historical alliance with Denmark. Greenland’s own Premier, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, denounced the social media post as ‘disrespectful,’ while simultaneously seeking to calm concerns by asserting, ‘Our country is not for sale, and our future is not decided by social media posts.’
The U.S. intervention in Venezuela has evidently rattled European allies, casting a new light on Trump’s repeated expressions of desire to annex Greenland. The administration has justified its interest by citing the territory’s strategic Arctic positioning and its wealth of critical minerals essential for high-tech industries.
Jesper Moeller Soerensen, Denmark’s Ambassador to the U.S., responded with a pointed ‘friendly reminder’ on X, emphasizing Denmark’s expectation of ‘full respect for territorial integrity.’ He highlighted Denmark’s status as a NATO ally that has ‘significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts’ in cooperation with the U.S., underscoring that the nations should ‘continue to work together as such.’
Stephen Miller, recognized as a principal influence on Trump’s hardline immigration and domestic policies, finds his wife’s actions adding a personal dimension to the diplomatic friction. Katie Miller, who held communications roles in the Trump administration and for former Vice President Mike Pence, has not publicly commented further on her post.
The incident underscores growing concerns among U.S. allies regarding the administration’s foreign policy tactics and its public disregard for established international norms and diplomatic protocols.