Albertina McNeill

Trump envoy dismisses criticism: “The opposition comes more from Europe than from Greenland” The United States’ special envoy, Jeff Landry, downplayed the negative reactions to his visit to Nuuk and pointed to European resistance. Amid intense media attention, Donald Trump’s special envoy, Jeff Landry, arrived Tuesday at Katuaq, where the Future Greenland business conference was taking place. As he entered, he moved through the crowd wearing a dark grey suit, leather boots, and a steel-and-gold Rolex watch, while participants watched him closely. KNR caught up with him for an extended interview about his stay. KNR asked Jeff Landry whether the goal is still to take control of Greenland, something both he and U.S. President Donald Trump have previously expressed interest in. “The person best suited to answer that question is the President of the United States. But I think, first and foremost, what the President of the United States wants is to ensure that the Western Hemisphere is secure and that the countries of the Western Hemisphere share in all the opportunities that the United States — the world’s largest economy — has to offer,” said Jeff Landry, who is visiting Greenland for the first time. According to Jeff Landry, the meeting with Greenland’s government leadership went extremely well. He says he left the meeting with the feeling that no one had really cared about Greenland before Donald Trump started talking about the country — neither from the American nor the European side. “He (Premier of Greenland, ed.) said that we (Greenland, ed.) had been knocking on the door, but the door was never opened. And I said: ‘Listen, that’s why I’m here.’” “I’m here to say: hey, the door is open. Let’s build a relationship,” Trump’s special envoy explained. After the meeting, the Premier of Greenland stated that there were people on the American side of the table who lacked knowledge about Greenland. Whether Jens-Frederik Nielsen was referring to Jeff Landry or Ken Howery remains unclear. Q: Do you believe Greenland is “a badly managed piece of ice,” as President Donald Trump has described it? “I can tell you that what I will take back and report to the President is that we previously had an opportunity that presidents before him squandered. Trump is not a failure like they were. He loves to win. He loves making deals,” he said, continuing: “He recognizes that Greenland is extremely important for national security — not only for the United States, but also for the Western Hemisphere, and of course for Greenland’s own security.” Q: What do you think about the fear and anger that your visit and the President’s rhetoric have sparked among Greenlanders? “There was this huge backlash, which honestly sounded like it came more from Europe than from Greenland. Remember, I was invited to a dog sled race,” he said, referring to an invitation he received in January that was later withdrawn by the organizers. According to the special envoy, it appears that Europe is trying to close the door between Greenland and the United States. “I think this could become a great opportunity for coexistence between Europe, Greenland, and the United States, with the United States in the lead. This is not foreign territory, because the United States led the reconstruction of Europe after the Second World War. It’s not as though Europe alone built the Europe we see today.” Q: There is a high-level working group, and then there is you — Trump’s special envoy. What is your role, and where do you fit into the broader situation between Greenland and the United States? “I see my mission as being about economic opportunities — naturally, as Governor of Louisiana,” Jeff Landry said, continuing: “It is economic opportunity — not government welfare — that lifts people from dependency to independence.” —KNR (Foto © : Christian Klindt Sølbeck/Ritzau Scanpix)