Vice President J.D. Vance and second lady Usha Vance are slated to make a historic trip to Greenland’s northwest coast and visit Pituffik Space Base, where they’ll meet our nation’s guardians and airmen on base, tour the facility, and discuss the growing importance of Arctic security in American foreign policy.
The trip is historic – the first time a sitting vice president has seen Pituffik and the farthest north one has ever traveled, by a long shot. It also demonstrates the Trump-Vance administration’s clear commitment to strengthening America’s presence in the Arctic, which is integral to our military’s anti-ballistic missile and satellite defense efforts. Unfortunately, the visit also comes on the heels of an ugly, dishonest spat initiated by Denmark, which – after receiving bad press following decades of mistreating the Greenlandic people – is deflecting with attacks on the second lady.
Every year, the people of Greenland host the Avannaata Qimussersua, a national dogsled race that allows islanders to compete for top musher status. However, the prestigious race has faced significant financial challenges in recent years. To help foot the bill, the U.S. Consulate in Nuuk, which President Trump reopened in 2020 after it lay dormant for seven decades, provided a multi-year grant to the dogsledding association that organizes the event, which will help Greenlanders transport their dogsled teams across the island in advance of the race.
When several of the organizers and sponsors of the Avannaata Qimussersua extended invitations to Usha Vance to attend – with the chairman of the association even asking her to wave the flag to kick off the race – it appeared to be a moment of genuine warmth between the Greenlandic and American peoples. The trip presented an opportunity to deepen our bonds and allow the second lady to learn more about Greenland’s culture by visiting Sisimiut and participating in one of the island’s greatest annual rituals.
However, after word got out that Usha Vance had agreed to join, Copenhagen became apoplectic. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attacked the trip as “unacceptable” and warned that she would “stand against” it – a shockingly undiplomatic, hostile reaction to someone attending a dogsledding race in your former colony. The Danish government’s attacks ended up snowballing into a much larger smear campaign.
Why all the touchiness from Copenhagen? Perhaps it’s because of the recent attention that Denmark has received for its mistreatment of the Greenlandic people over the centuries they’ve ruled over them. Last year, a group of Greenlanders launched a historic lawsuit against the Danish government for the mass IUD birth control campaign that it allegedly waged in the 1960s and 1970s against thousands of women on the island, many without their knowledge. And in 2020, Prime Minister Frederiksen was forced to apologize to Greenlandic children who had been removed from the island to be reeducated in Denmark as part of a failed social experiment.
More generally, the Danish government faces increasing discontent from the Greenlandic people over what islanders view as neglect and underinvestment from Copenhagen, which has resulted in the decay of what limited infrastructure does exist across the island. So it follows that the Danes may be on edge as President Trump calls for Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
Regardless, the Trump-Vance administration looks magnanimous in the face of Denmark’s diplomatic slights. Vice President Vance is doing the right thing by joining his wife on the trip, and Americans should applaud the White House’s forward-looking goal of boosting U.S. leadership in the Arctic.
As Russia and China ramp up their own investments in the region, never has it been more important for America to step up and ensure that our military presence in Greenland – an integral part of the anti-ballistic missile shield that protects the North American continent – grows even stronger. And as Americans, we should celebrate the important lesson it sends to the Danish government: The U.S., Greenland, and Europe all benefit from stronger American ties with Greenland, and our nation will not be cowed or intimidated by those who fail to recognize this basic reality.
