US President Donald Trump announced last night that he will name Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
“Jeff understands how important Greenland is to our national security and will resolutely defend our country's interests for the safety, security and survival of our allies and, indeed, the entire world“, Trump wrote in a post on “Truth Social“.
The White House, the office of the Greenland Prime Minister and representatives for Landry did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Reuters notes.
It is not yet clear whether Landry, who became governor in January 2024 , will have to step down from his post.
Trump has said several times over the years that Greenland, a Danish territory with a high degree of self-government, should become part of the United States, which he believes is necessary for security reasons as well as interest in the island's mineral resources.
Landry expressed support for the idea earlier this year.
“President Donald Trump is absolutely right!“, Landry wrote in an article in “Ex“ on Jan. 9. “We need to make sure Greenland joins the United States. Great for them, great for us! Let's do it!“, he added.
Greenland and Denmark have consistently rejected any possibility of this idea happening.
Although the United States and Greenland pledged to show “mutual respect“ earlier this month, Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said that US comments on Greenland had created uncertainty among locals, and stressed the need for a frank dialogue with the US side.
“Our country and the US have cooperated for 80 years on the basis of common interests. We need to restore trust so that we can continue the good cooperation,“ Motzfeldt said on December 8.