Donald Trump Jr. arrives in Greenland after his father says the United States should own the territory

The eldest son of the incoming US president, Donald Trump, arrived in Greenland on Tuesday for a private visit, which has intensified speculation that the incoming US administration may seek to take control of the Danish territory.

Danish state television reported that Donald Trump Jr.’s plane landed in Nuuk, the capital of the vast and icy territory of about 57,000 inhabitants.

In a statement, Greenland’s government said Trump Jr.’s visit would take place “as a private individual” and not as an official visit, and that Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him.

Mininguaq Kleist, permanent secretary of Greenland’s foreign affairs department, told The Associated Press that authorities were informed that Trump Jr. would stay for about 4 to 5 hours.

There have been no requests from Trump Jr.’s delegation for official meetings with government officials. Greenland’s Self-Government has not requested a meeting with the delegation either, he said.

The visit nevertheless has strong political overtones.

It comes after President-elect Donald Trump recently expressed a desire – which he also expressed during his first presidency – to acquire the vast Artic territory. Greenland is a self-governing territory that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

It also comes when Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede has called for independence from Denmark and said in a New Year’s speech that it would be a way for Greenland to free itself from its colonial past. But Egede has also said that he has no interest in Greenland becoming part of the United States, and insists that the island is not for sale.

Denmark’s King Frederik X has asserted his kingdom’s rights to both Greenland and the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago located between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic.

Last month, the king changed Denmark’s coat of arms to include fields representing Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland is represented by an upright sitting silver bear with a red tongue. The royal announcement noted that since 1194, the royal coat of arms has “visually symbolized the legitimacy and sovereignty of the state and the monarch.”

“We are all united and each committed to the Kingdom of Denmark,” Frederik said in his New Year’s speech, adding: “all the way to Greenland.”

Trump Jr. is in Greenland on a day trip to record video content for podcasting, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly.

“I hear that the population of Greenland is ‘MAGA’. My son, Don Jr., and various representatives, will travel there to visit some of the most magnificent sites and sights,” the president-elect. Donald Trump posted on his social media Monday night, referring to his “Make America Great Again” movement

“Greenland is an incredible place and the people will benefit tremendously if and when it becomes part of our nation,” Trump wrote. “We want to protect it, and cherish it, from a very evil outside world. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”

Trump has previously had designs on Greenland. In a statement last month announcing his election as US ambassador to Denmark, he wrote: “For the sake of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States feels that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

Trump’s eldest son has become a prominent player in his father’s political movement, serving on his presidential transition team and helping select the people to staff the incoming White House.

In his first term, Trump contemplated buying Greenland, which received home rule from Denmark in 1979. He himself canceled a planned trip to Denmark in August 2019 after its prime minister rejected the idea.

The the world’s largest islandGreenland lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean and is 80% covered by an ice sheet and is home to a large US military base.