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President Donald Trump’s newly appointed envoy to Greenland said Tuesday the administration wants to open a dialogue with residents of the territory, stressing the U.S. is not seeking to “conquer” the island.
During an appearance on ’ “The Will Cain Show,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who was tapped as special envoy to Greenland by Trump on Sunday, said discussions must be had with Greenlanders to understand what they want moving forward.
“What are they looking for? What opportunities have they not gotten? Why haven’t they gotten the protection that they actually deserve?” Landry said.
Landry added that the U.S. “has always been a welcoming party,” and that the Trump administration is not going to “go in there trying to conquer anybody” or “take over anybody’s country.”
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, right, was recently appointed envoy to Greenland by President Donald Trump. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Landry’s comments came after Danish leaders sharply criticized Trump after he announced the appointment of the new special envoy to Greenland, a territory controlled by Denmark.
“We have said it before. Now, we say it again. National borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a joint statement Monday. “They are fundamental principles. You cannot annex another country. Not even with an argument about international security.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday that Landry “understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.”
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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, right, has been appointed U.S. envoy to Greenland. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
On Tuesday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called Trump’s comments “completely unacceptable,” adding that he would summon the U.S. ambassador.
The Danish kingdom, he wrote on Facebook, is “sovereign and cannot accept that others question it.”
Trump has previously expressed ambitions for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, posting on Truth Social in December 2024 that “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for national security purposes.
President Donald Trump’s new envoy to Greenland said Tuesday the administration wants to open a dialogue with residents of the territory, and that the U.S is not looking to “conquer” the island. (Leon Neal/Getty Images; Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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In another post from January 2025, Trump said Greenland is an “incredible place,” and its people will “benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation,” before declaring, “MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”
Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
