Hundreds of Greenlanders gathered outside the new U.S. consulate in Nuuk on Thursday to protest the facility’s opening and the visit of President Trump’s envoy, signaling strong local resistance to increased American involvement on the island.
Many Greenlandic politicians declined invitations to the inauguration; Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said he would not attend. Demonstrators carried the red-and-white Greenland flag and placards reading ‘USA ASU’—translated as ‘Stop USA’—alongside English signs such as ‘Make America go away!’ and ‘We are not for sale!’. Chants included ‘Greenland belongs to Greenlanders,’ ‘Go home,’ and ‘No means no.’
‘It’s very important, now more than ever, to show the American people what we already said, that no means no, and that the future and self-determination of Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people,’ said Aqqalukkuluk Fontain, a 37-year-old IT account manager and one of the organizers of the protest. She emphasized that the demonstration was intended to assert Greenlandic democracy rather than to provoke the U.S. delegation.
The envoy, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, arrived in Nuuk on Sunday. His trip, his first to the island since being appointed in December, drew criticism for the composition of his delegation and for remarks made by a medical professional traveling with him who said he was there to ‘assess the medical needs of Greenland.’ That comment provoked anger among some residents and officials.
Landry briefly attended a business conference with U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Kenneth Lowery and met with Greenlandic Foreign Minister Múte Egede and Prime Minister Nielsen. Officials described the talks as constructive, but there was no indication that Washington’s broader stance on Greenland had shifted.
Reports from the visit noted awkward public encounters, including offers of chocolate chip cookies and red ‘MAGA’ hats to people in the street—gestures that produced little positive response and drew criticism from Greenlandic officials.
Near the end of the trip, Landry told reporters he believed the United States should ‘put its footprint back on Greenland,’ saying the island has strategic value and that the U.S. should consider increasing national security operations and repopulating certain bases. He also highlighted Greenland’s natural resources, including oil, amid rising global energy prices.
Polls show broad opposition among both Greenlanders and many Americans to the idea of the United States asserting greater control over the territory. The protest in Nuuk underlined local demand for self-determination and for decisions about the island’s future to be made by Greenlandic people themselves.
The opening of the consulate and the envoy’s visit come as international interest in Greenland grows because of its location between the Arctic and the Atlantic and because of its natural resources. For now, demonstrators made clear that many Greenlanders oppose closer U.S. control or influence, insisting that decisions about the island’s future remain in local hands.
