The Trump administration appears to have doubled in Greenland.
Vice President JD Vance announced Tuesday that he had taken over a controversial visit that he headed to the island later this week and made a very clear look at what Greenland officials wanted at all.
Originally, the Trump administration said that second-woman Usha Vance and national security adviser Michael Waltz would travel to Greenland, the Danish semi-automatic territory that President Trump wants from the United States.
Danish and Greenland officials have quickly branded the move “aggressive” part of the president's plan to acquire the island, as they recently said “in some way.”
The White House then issued a statement Tuesday afternoon that changed its visit. The new itinerary will be for Vance and Vance to visit the Pituffik Space Base above the Arctic Circle, where they will be “explained about security issues in the Arctic and meet with US service members.”
In an X post, Vance said, “We're just going to check what's going on in Greenland security.”
Anti-Trump sentiment was steadily rising on the island, and activists were already preparing to protest the arrival of American delegations starting at the international airport in Nuuk's capital. But now it appears that Vance hasn't stepped into Nuke.
The United States has long-standing defense agreements with station forces in Denmark and Greenland, allowing American officials to visit the base at their own pace. Foreign Ministry analysts said Tuesday night that they hope Vance will travel directly to a space station near 1,000 miles north of Nuke, and that they will avoid the cauldron brewed in the capital.
Greenland officials have never invited Americans to begin with, but have little control over who is visiting the US base.
Initially, the plan was for Vance and one of her sons to see the precious Greenland tradition of dog sled race in Sisimut, one of Greenland's large towns. However, race organizers issued a pointy statement on Sunday that they had not asked Vance to attend while the race was open to the public.
A spokesperson for Vance denied it by saying he received “multiple invitations.” Still, the White House announced Tuesday that she will no longer be racing.
US administration officials originally planned that Waltz would visit the space station. This is an important part of the US missile defense. However, as Waltz is currently caught up in the controversy over discussing sensitive war plans using mobile messaging applications, his participation appears to be in the air.
The Greenland government was not pleased as news of Vance was broken on Tuesday night. Politicians are caught up in nuanced discussions over who will form the island's next administration. Earlier this month, the island held parliamentary elections, but the results were mixed together, with the party not winning a clear majority.
“We sought peace and tranquility, and an international visit with ongoing negotiations was not sought. That should be respected,” said Pipaluk Lynge-Rasmussen, a key member of the ruling party departing.
Some Danish political analysts said the decision to send Vance was an “escalation.”
Copenhagen political commentator Lars Trier Morgensen said: “That's more important than Mike Waltz or Usha Vance.”
“In Denmark, people are beginning to see this as a kind of hybrid war,” he added, pointing to a comparison with Crimea, an area annexed by Russia in 2014.
But others have seen the decision to visit American bases and abandon the dog sled race.
“If a visit to Nuuk is cancelled, the Trump administration may be retreating by avoiding imposing private Greenland,” said Ulrik Pram Gad, a researcher at the Danish Institute of International Studies. “By focusing solely on military bases, the conversation goes back to security.”
