Washington — Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance are on their way to a U.S. military base in Greenland, as the Trump administration continues to pursue interest in the semi-autonomous Danish territory, despite pushback from local residents and leaders.
National security adviser Mike Waltz will accompany the Vances, according to sources involved in the planning, as reported by CBS News. Waltz is set to depart on Friday, a source confirmed.
Initially, the second lady had planned an extensive cultural trip to Greenland this week; however, the vice president announced on Tuesday that he will be joining her for a shorter visit, concentrating more on U.S. policy and defense. Their itinerary will primarily include the Pituffik Space Base, the northernmost U.S. military installation.
“The strategic partnership between the United States and Greenland has long been crucial for our national and economic security,” the vice president’s office stated in their announcement of the trip’s adjustment. “During World War II, the United States established numerous military bases in Greenland to protect the North Atlantic from Nazi encroachment. In the subsequent Cold War, additional U.S. resources were committed to Greenland to counter Soviet missile threats. In recent decades, both Danish leadership and previous U.S. administrations have allowed inaction and neglect to provide an opening for adversaries to pursue their agendas in Greenland and the Arctic. President Trump is rightly altering this trajectory.”
Mr. Trump remains committed to the idea of integrating Greenland into the United States, despite opposition from both the leadership and citizens of Greenland. The island, which is situated to the north and east of Canada, is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. It is approximately three times the size of Texas, yet largely covered in ice. Most of its population of around 57,000 — smaller than that of Carson City, Nevada — resides along the southern coast.
A recent poll indicates that 85% of Greenlanders do not wish to join the United States, and local residents who spoke with CBS News ahead of Vance’s visit to a remote U.S. facility on the island—America’s northernmost military base—echoed this sentiment.
“He can’t just take it like that,” commented Daniel Rosing, a trainee electrician, expressing pride in his Greenlandic identity.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Múte Bourup Egede, has labeled the upcoming visits from U.S. officials as “aggressive.” Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the U.S. approach as applying “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland.
Despite the resistance, Mr. Trump expressed earlier this month in a speech before a joint session of Congress that he had “a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland: We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”
Mr. Trump highlighted the importance of the territory to U.S. national security and stated his administration is “working with everyone involved to try and acquire it.”
“And I believe we’re going to secure it, one way or another,” Mr. Trump declared. “We will ensure your safety, we will make you prosperous, and together, we will elevate Greenland to unprecedented heights. It’s a small population, but a vast land area, crucial for military security.”
