Greenland Protest: Rally in Greenland During Jeff Landry's Visit to Greenland | Race To Power

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]The locals in Greenland are out on the streets to lodge their protest against the American President Donald Trump. And these demonstrations erupted after a visit by the Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry to the island. The demonstrators have accused the US delegation of being disrespectful and politically insensitive as tensions continue to rise over Washington's strategic ambitions in the region. Anger spilled onto the streets of Nuke as protesters gathered outside of the newly opened US consulate event during the visit of Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. The demonstrators in fact shouted anti-American sloans and accused Washington of trying to expand its influence in Greenland under the guise of partnership and security cooperation. The protests intensified as reports emerged that members of the American delegation handed out a red make America Great Again caps and chocolate chip cookies to locals during the informal outreach efforts. The US special envoy to Greenland Jeff Landry argued that Greenland needed stronger American involvement particularly in security and infrastructure.

[00:01:06]>> I think it's time for the US to put its footprint back on Greenland. Um, I think that you're seeing the president um talk about increasing um national security operations and repopulating the uh certain bases in Greenland.

[00:01:23]Now, the visit has in fact become even more controversial after it was revealed that Landre's delegation reportedly included a doctor assigned to study Greenland's healthcare situation. The critics have called this move patronizing, saying that it reinforced perceptions that the US sees Greenland as a strategic project rather than as an equal partner.

[00:01:48]>> Over the heads on the Greenlanders, I think it's very colonialist rhetoric about buying this place and putting up hotels, which Trump has shared memes about. I think there has been talk over people's heads and it's just a really unpleasant reminder of people as commodities or as a product as something that can be bought and sold. It's very unpleasant to witness and I think this ruthless rhetoric.

[00:02:15]>> Now the remarks have once again highlighted America's growing focus on Greenland's strategic importance. The United States has massive interest in the Greenland as the Arctic island sits between North America and Europe and plays a critical role in missile defense, military surveillance, and Arctic logistics. As climate change melts Arctic ice, new shipping routes are opening up, making the region increasingly valuable both commercially and militarily.

[00:02:40]Greenland is also home to vast reserves of rare earth minerals resources considered essential for advanced technology. Now, clean energy systems and defense manufacturing. The US already operates the Petuix space base in Greenland, its last remaining military installation on the island. But during the Cold War, Washington had maintained nearly about 17 facilities there. And now with geopolitical competition intensifying in the Arctic, Greenland is back in the focus again, becoming a major strategic flash point.

[00:03:23]All right. Now, joining us on the broadcast, we've got our correspondent, Susan Therani, who's joining us live from New York. Susan, the issue of Greenland doesn't seem to go away under Trump's presidency. Tell us what this entire controversy is about.

[00:03:38]Yeah, Greenland strategic importance just continues to grow as opposed to going away as you mentioned Muhammad, not only because of those Arctic shipping routes, but also natural resources as well as its military significance as well. It's just militarily it's positioned in a way that the United States can benefit greatly, notably when it comes to competition with Russia and China. And so it makes it this island basically increasingly sensitive in global politics, but it also really puts a burden on the people of Greenland who, as you just reported, just really don't want to have anything to do with the United States in terms of the country taking it over in one way or the other. And it doesn't seem like there they have an appetite for a more US presence there. This demonstration happened because the US just expanded its counselor and mission uh pre parameters and par and and its premise. So let alone, you know, to have more military uh presence in there and whatnot. It seems that they're just not, you know, into that. But it was interesting I think a few months back Denmark said that it was open to talking to the United States when it comes uh to more US involvement in Greenland. Perhaps they could sort of find some kind of bilateral agreement that would benefit the both sides that won't result in you know an all-out crisis.

[00:05:06]>> Indeed, Denmark has said that it is willing to do a deal but Trump wants to outright take over the island of Greenland. That that of course has been the crux of the problem. Thank you very much indeed Susan for joining us with our perspective.