It wasn't exactly a state visit. When a Boeing 757 with TRUMP plastered across the side touched down at Nuuk Airport in early January 2025, the local reaction wasn't a red carpet. It was more like a collective "Wait, what?"
Donald Trump Jr. in Greenland is a weird story. It’s a mix of high-stakes geopolitical posturing and some honestly bizarre "boots on the ground" moments that left many locals feeling like extras in a movie they never auditioned for.
Most people remember the 2019 headline when then-President Trump suggested buying the island. It sounded like a joke to some, but the administration was dead serious. Fast forward to early 2025, right before the second inauguration, and Don Jr. shows up in the Arctic to—in his own words—take a few videos as a tourist.
The "Staged" Lunch at Hotel Hans Egede
The weirdest part of the trip happened at a hotel. Don Jr. and his crew, including Charlie Kirk, ended up at the Hotel Hans Egede in Nuuk. Photos quickly hit social media showing a group of locals wearing red MAGA hats, smiling and eating a traditional Greenlandic lunch of fish and caribou.
Trump Jr. hopped on a podcast later and talked about how much the people there loved his father. He even put the President-elect on speakerphone to tell the crowd, "We're going to treat you well."
💡 You might also like: Why a Man Hits Girl for Bullying Incidents Go Viral and What They Reveal About Our Breaking Point
But then the local reporters started asking questions.
According to Danish broadcaster DR and The Guardian, that "grassroots" support might have been a bit... manufactured. Jørgen Bay-Kastrup, the hotel’s CEO, later told the press that many of those guests were actually unhoused or socially disadvantaged people. They’d basically been recruited off the street near a local grocery store, offered a free luxury meal and some merch, and invited in.
One Nuuk resident, Tom Amtoft, told the press it was "deeply distasteful" to use vulnerable people as props for a video. Whether Don Jr. himself knew the background of every guest is up for debate, but the optics were, well, not great.
Why Greenland? It’s Not Just About the Ice
You've probably wondered why the Trumps are so obsessed with this place. It’s basically a massive rock covered in a two-mile-thick ice sheet. But that rock is sitting on a goldmine—literally.
📖 Related: Why are US flags at half staff today and who actually makes that call?
- Rare Earth Minerals: We’re talking about the stuff that makes your iPhone and EV batteries work. China currently dominates that market, and the U.S. wants a piece of the Arctic pie.
- National Security: Thule Air Base (now Pituffik Space Base) is already there. With Russia and China ramping up their Arctic presence, the U.S. views Greenland as the "stationary aircraft carrier" of the North.
- The "Golden Dome": President Trump has been vocal about building a massive missile defense system. In January 2026, he reiterated that Greenland is "absolute necessity" for this project.
The Hunting Rumors vs. Reality
Whenever Don Jr. travels to a remote wilderness, people assume he’s there to hunt. He’s an avid outdoorsman, and his 2019 trip to Mongolia—where he shot a rare argali sheep—stayed in the news for years because of the $77,000 taxpayer bill for Secret Service protection.
However, during this specific Greenland trip, there was no actual hunting. He was only on the ground for about four or five hours. You can't really do a serious hunt in that timeframe, especially in Arctic conditions. This was strictly a media play. He wanted content for his podcast, Triggered, and a way to signal to Denmark that the U.S. wasn't backing down on its territorial ambitions.
The Geopolitical Friction
The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, hasn't been shy about her feelings. She’s called the idea of selling Greenland "absurd." After Don Jr.'s visit, the tension only got thicker.
By early 2026, the rhetoric shifted from "maybe we can buy it" to "we might have to take it." Trump’s team started using more aggressive language, mentioning "military coercion" and "economic pressure."
👉 See also: Elecciones en Honduras 2025: ¿Quién va ganando realmente según los últimos datos?
It’s a wild situation. Imagine a NATO ally—Denmark—having to defend its territory against the rhetorical (and potentially economic) onslaught of its most important partner.
What This Means for You
If you’re watching this from the outside, it feels like a reality TV plot. But for the 57,000 people living in Greenland, it’s their life. They’ve been autonomous since 1979, and while they rely on Denmark for about half their budget, they have their own flag, language, and a very strong sense of identity.
The Actionable Takeaway:
Keep an eye on the "Make Greenland Great Again Act" (H.R. 361) if you're interested in how this plays out legally. Also, if you’re planning a trip to Nuuk yourself, don’t expect to see many MAGA hats. The "supporters" seen in those videos were a very specific, temporary phenomenon.
What we’re seeing is a new kind of "influencer diplomacy." Instead of sending a State Department envoy, the administration sent a son with a camera crew. Whether that actually helps secure a deal or just makes everyone in the Arctic really annoyed remains to be seen.
Next Steps for Staying Informed:
- Track the 2026 legislative elections in Greenland; the results will show if the population is actually warming up to U.S. investment or digging in their heels.
- Watch for any updates on the U.S. Consulate in Nuuk, which was reopened specifically to counter Chinese influence in the region.