President Trump appoints Louisiana governor as special envoy to Greenland
(NBC, KYMA) - President Donald Trump announced Sunday he is appointing Gov. Jeff Landry (R-La.) as a special envoy to Greenland.
President Trump said, in a post to Truth Social, Gov. 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."
In a post on X, Landry wrote, "It's an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S."
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said Monday his country insists that everyone, including the U.S., must respect "the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark."
Trump called repeatedly during his presidential transition, and the early months of his second term, for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, a vast, semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and has not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic Island.
In March, Vice President JD Vance visited a remote U.S. military base in Greenland and accused Denmark of underinvesting there.
The issue gradually drifted out of the headlines, but in August, Danish officials summoned the U.S. ambassador following a report that at least three people with connections to trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.
Denmark is a NATO ally of the U.S.
Earlier this month, the Danish Defense Intelligence Service said in an annual report that the U.S. is using its economic power to "assert its will" and threaten military force against friend and foe alike.
