Usha Vance’s Planned Greenland Visit Meets Fierce Criticism

Photo: @UshaVanceNews

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON – Second Lady Usha Vance is set to travel to Greenland from March 27-29 as part of a U.S. delegation, including her son and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, to explore “historic sites” and “learn about Greenlandic heritage,” a White House statement said. The visit comes at a time of growing tension over President Donald Trump’s repeated assertions that the U.S. should take control of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark.

The announcement of Vance’s trip has sparked condemnation from Greenland’s political leaders, who have rejected Trump’s suggestions. Outgoing Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede criticized the visit as aggressive, noting that Vance and Waltz were not invited for formal meetings. Greenland’s likely next leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also accused the U.S. officials of disrespecting the local population.

The debate over Greenland’s future gained prominence in recent elections, where Egede’s Inuit Ataqatigiit party was defeated by Nielsen’s Democratic party, which advocates a gradual path toward independence from Denmark.

But despite Trump’s continued assertions, the people of Greenland overwhelmingly oppose the idea of becoming part of the U.S. A January survey indicated that a significant majority, nearly 80%, support Greenland’s independence from Denmark, with even more rejecting U.S. annexation.

The Associated Press reported that during a recent Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on March 21, Trump said “Denmark’s very far away” from Greenland, and questioned whether that country still had a right to claim the world’s largest island as part of its kingdom. “A boat landed there 200 years ago (around 1825) or something. And they say they have rights to it,” Trump said. “I don’t know if that’s true. I don’t think it is, actually.” All five parties in Greenland’s parliament issued a joint statement rejecting Trump’s remarks.

Greenland, the world’s largest island, has been under Denmark’s sovereignty for nearly 300 years. While it governs its own domestic affairs, Copenhagen oversees decisions related to foreign policy and defense. The U.S. has long maintained a military presence in Greenland, with a base established since World War II.

Backing his wife’s visit, Vice President JD Vance who has become the voice of this boss on European affairs, said on Fox News on March 23 that Trump “doesn’t care” what the Europeans think. He opined Denmark was “not doing its job” with Greenland and “not being a good ally.”

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