Donald Trump Jr., son of the U.S. President-elect, visited Greenland on Tuesday during a private trip, as his father renewed his interest in gaining control of the Danish Arctic territory.
"Just here as tourists," Trump Jr said at the airport in the capital Nuuk, according to Greenlandic broadcaster KNR. He said he has no plans to meet with politicians during his brief stay.
Trump Jr flew to Greenland on a Trump-branded plane. Posts on social media showed him being greeted in the airport arrivals hall by people wearing red Make America Great Again caps.
"My son, Don Jr, and various representatives will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights," the elder Trump earlier wrote on his online mouthpiece Truth Social.
"Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation," added the Republican leader, who is due to return to office on January 20.
It was not said which representatives would accompany his son to Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark but does not control its own foreign and security policy.
Reaction from Greenland, a vast island containing 2,166,000 square kilometers and 56,000 inhabitants, was swift.
"I don't want to be a pawn in Trump's wild dreams of expanding his empire and including our country in it," Aaja Chemnitz, a member for Greenland in the Danish parliament, wrote on Facebook.
She also told Danish broadcaster DR she was open to cooperation with the U.S. in areas such as tourism, raw materials and education. However, she emphasized that Greenlanders would decide their future.
"As someone who has traveled to some fascinating places across the globe as an outdoorsman, I'm excited to stop into Greenland for a little bit of fun this week," Trump Jr told Fox News before flying.
The president's eldest son has not yet been appointed to any official position in Trump's administration, at least publicly.
However, he is considered a close adviser to his father and was heavily involved in the election campaign. Trump Jr's trip to Greenland is therefore also politically explosive.
His father also said on Truth Social that Greenland would be protected from "a very vicious outside World," exhorting in a play on his own MAGA election slogan, "Make Greenland Great Again."
Trump caused a furor in December by stating: "For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity."
He caused additional concern by naming also Panama in the context of expanding the U.S. territory, and even Canada as "a possible 51st state of the U.S."
Trump had proposed buying Greenland during his first term in office. The far-fetched offer led to a diplomatic dust-up between Washington and Copenhagen.
"Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale," the island's Prime Minister Mute Egede said in a statement last month, after Trump floated the idea again. The Danish government reiterated its support for Egede's position.
Due to its location in the Arctic, its proximity to Russia, its suspected mineral resources and an important U.S. military base, the island is strategically important for both the U.S. and Denmark.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen emphasized in December that Denmark could not monitor Greenland's vast territory on its own. "There are no concrete plans, but we will work with the U.S.," he said.
Recently, the Danish government announced plans to strengthen Greenland's security with a large investment.
Since the start of the year, the new royal coat of arms has also given more prominence to Greenland, symbolized by a polar bear. The Faroe Islands, part of the Danish realm, are featured more too.
The Danish court stated that King Frederik X aimed to create a contemporary coat of arms with the changes. Whether the renewal is linked to Trump's interest in Greenland remains unclear.
Meanwhile, following the announcement by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday that he was resigning, Trump doubled down on his 51st state jibe at his country's northern neighbor.
"If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be totally secure from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them," he posted on his website.
