Greenlanders have one key thing to tell U.S. President Donald Trump — “go away.”
The Trump administration has been persistent in the president’s pursuit of owning Greenland, leading to thousands of demonstrators coming together in Denmark and Greenland to protest.
They wore the same red MAGA hats that Trump supporters often wear, but with a little twist.
Highlights
- Greenlanders protest Trump’s attempt to buy Greenland wearing red MAGA hats altered to say 'Make America Go Away.'
- European countries, including Denmark, Germany, and France, unite to oppose U.S. efforts to control Greenland.
- Trump threatens a 10% import tax on countries opposing his Greenland plans, escalating tensions further.
- Protesters in Greenland and Denmark demand self-governance and reject becoming part of the U.S.
Greenlanders wore Trump’s iconic red MAGA caps, but with one twist
Image credits: Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images
This one reads, “Make America Go Away.”
The protests began as a response to Trump announcing new tariffs on several European countries, effectively bullying them into reaching a deal that would allow him to control the island, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Denmark, a NATO member, has garnered support from other European Union countries; Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the U.K. have banded together to defend its sovereignty over Greenland.
“I am pleased with the consistent messages from the rest of the continent: Europe will not be blackmailed,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen wrote in a statement Sunday.
Image credits: Mohamed El-Shemy/Anadolu via Getty Images
Frederiksen and other EU leaders also wrote in a joint statement that the tariffs risked “undermin[ing] transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
Around 10,000 Danes gathered at Copenhagen’s City Hall Square to protest against Trump’s threats, with many people in the crowd donning the parody red hats.
Some caps also read “Nu det NUUK,” a play on Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, and meaning, “Now it’s enough.”
Image credits: Mohamed El-Shemy/Anadolu via Getty Images
The caps also have the Greenland flag on them. They have become so popular that they reportedly sold out in the country. Danes at the protest chanted, “Greenland is not for sale” while holding banners reading “Hands off Greenland.”
“We have to support Greenland. We are Danes, Greenland[ers] are Danes, even though they’re Greenlanders, and we just have to stick together,” protester Susanne Kristensen told NBC News.
A Danish bakery was also found selling an orange “Fool Trump Cake,” in the shape of Trump’s face. Danes use a fool cake to apologize for a mistake.
In Nuuk, Greenlanders also trekked through snow on Saturday to protest for self-governance. Just as they wrapped up, Trump announced plans to charge a 10% import tax on all countries opposing his plans to control Greenland, starting in February.
“I thought this day couldn’t get any worse, but it just did,” Malik Dollerup-Scheibel told AP. “It just shows he has no remorse for any kind of human being now.”
Another resident, Trina Evaldsen, told The Chosun Daily, “We will remain Greenlanders forever and do not wish to become Americans or part of any other culture.
“It is shameful for other countries to target Greenland for its resources and money, showing a lack of respect for our people and values.”
Greenlanders and Danes protested over the weekend against Trump’s threats to own Greenland
Image credits: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Earlier this month, Trump said the island is vital to U.S. security. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security,” he said, with the administration not ruling out military action to own the territory.
In an NYT interview, Trump said his quest for full “ownership” of Greenland is “psychologically important” to him.
Trump has previously said he plans to take control of the territory “the easy way” or “the hard way.”
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
He has insisted that the U.S. must take control of Greenland to prevent Russia or China from doing the same. “I am not going to let that happen,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday.
Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK have deployed a small number of troops to Greenland at Denmark's request.
Trump has since doubled down on his threats to deploy troops to Greenland, accusing Denmark of not doing enough deal with potential threats from Russia.
“NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland,’” he wrote on TruthSocial. “Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it. Now it is time, and it will be done!!!”
Image credits: Nicolas Economou/Getty Images
However, the EU has committed full support to Denmark and Greenland. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen spoke to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
After their conversation, she reiterated, “We will always protect our strategic economic and security interests. We will face these challenges to our European solidarity with steadiness and resolve.”