Donald Trump Jr.’s Ridiculous Greenland Trip Just Took a Dark Turn
A MAGA visit intended to make Greenland look pro–Donald Trump appears staged from the bottom up.The so-called tourism trip saw Donald Trump Jr., far-right political pundit Charlie Kirk, and Trump administration staffer Sergio Gor visit the self-governing Danish territory at a time when the president-elect has made some odd jokes and eyebrow-raising militaristic threats about buying Greenland.The trio’s presence on the island—and myriad photo ops with local residents—was not taken well by some of Greenland’s politicians, who slammed Don Jr.’s visit as a stunt to make the territory appear open to U.S. governance. Pipaluk Lynge, the chair of Greenland’s parliamentary foreign and security policy committee, told Politico that the territory wants its “own independence and democracy.” Lynge also warned the United States not to “invade” the nation, which is largely composed of Indigenous tribes, in light of its historical treatment of Alaska’s Indigenous population.“Greenland is not for sale and will never be for sale,” Aaja Chemnitz, another member of Greenland’s Parliament, told NBC News.But some of the behind-the-scenes details of the pro-Trump expedition are even worse.Danish media reported Thursday that a series of photos featuring Kirk and Greenlandic residents in MAGA hats was staged. The MAGA cohort reportedly rounded up homeless people from the area—including one person from under a bridge—promising them a meal at the Hotel Hans Egede in exchange for their participation in the pro-Trump photo circuit.Videos of the trip that circulated on X describe the Greenlandic participants as “the local community in Nuuk,” but several local sources that spoke with DR News described the photographed individuals as “homeless and socially disadvantaged” people who are often outside the supermarket directly across from the hotel where the Trump event was held.“All they have to do is put on a cap and be in the Trump staff’s videos. They are being bribed, and it is deeply distasteful,” Tom Amtoft, a 28-year resident of Nuuk, told the Danish news outlet.Amtoft reportedly witnessed the group’s attempts to get locals to wear the MAGA caps for the photos, describing the process as “very aggressive.” He said the Trump envoys chose a “selective” group of people “who could say that Greenland should be bought.”
A MAGA visit intended to make Greenland look pro–Donald Trump appears staged from the bottom up.
The so-called tourism trip saw Donald Trump Jr., far-right political pundit Charlie Kirk, and Trump administration staffer Sergio Gor visit the self-governing Danish territory at a time when the president-elect has made some odd jokes and eyebrow-raising militaristic threats about buying Greenland.
The trio’s presence on the island—and myriad photo ops with local residents—was not taken well by some of Greenland’s politicians, who slammed Don Jr.’s visit as a stunt to make the territory appear open to U.S. governance. Pipaluk Lynge, the chair of Greenland’s parliamentary foreign and security policy committee, told Politico that the territory wants its “own independence and democracy.” Lynge also warned the United States not to “invade” the nation, which is largely composed of Indigenous tribes, in light of its historical treatment of Alaska’s Indigenous population.
“Greenland is not for sale and will never be for sale,” Aaja Chemnitz, another member of Greenland’s Parliament, told NBC News.
But some of the behind-the-scenes details of the pro-Trump expedition are even worse.
Danish media reported Thursday that a series of photos featuring Kirk and Greenlandic residents in MAGA hats was staged. The MAGA cohort reportedly rounded up homeless people from the area—including one person from under a bridge—promising them a meal at the Hotel Hans Egede in exchange for their participation in the pro-Trump photo circuit.
Videos of the trip that circulated on X describe the Greenlandic participants as “the local community in Nuuk,” but several local sources that spoke with DR News described the photographed individuals as “homeless and socially disadvantaged” people who are often outside the supermarket directly across from the hotel where the Trump event was held.
“All they have to do is put on a cap and be in the Trump staff’s videos. They are being bribed, and it is deeply distasteful,” Tom Amtoft, a 28-year resident of Nuuk, told the Danish news outlet.
Amtoft reportedly witnessed the group’s attempts to get locals to wear the MAGA caps for the photos, describing the process as “very aggressive.” He said the Trump envoys chose a “selective” group of people “who could say that Greenland should be bought.”
