Trump ‘hissy fit’ over Greenland
He pulls out of Danish state visit at 11th hour as bid for world’s largest island is labelled ‘absurd’
DONALD Trump has cancelled a visit to Denmark after his plan to buy Greenland was mocked.
The US President last night accused the Danish premier Mette Frederiksen of being ‘nasty’ after she said it was absurd that White House staff had been instructed to explore the proposal.
Danes accused Mr Trump of ‘ throwing a hissy fit’ and described him as a ‘narcissistic fool’. Greenland – the world’s largest island and part of the kingdom of Denmark – had been described as ‘strategically interesting’ by Mr Trump and he said it could be bought in ‘a large real estate deal’.
Initially he tried to treat the controversy with heavy- handed humour, promising on Twitter on Monday that he would not build one of his hotels in Greenland and posting a picture of the golden Trump International Hotel Las Vegas towering over islanders’ modest houses. ‘I promise not to do this to Greenland!’ he wrote.
But after the backlash from politicians in Denmark and Greenland he tweeted: ‘Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on prime minister Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be
‘Confirms he is a narcissistic fool’
postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.’
Last night White House spokesman Judd Deere confirmed the visit to Denmark had been cancelled.
Mrs Frederiksen expressed her frustration at Mr Trump’s Twitter diplomacy, saying preparations for the visit had been very advanced.
‘I am both annoyed and surprised that the US President has cancelled a state visit,’ she said, but insisted that her country’s invitation ‘remains open’.
Mr Trump said her description of his idea as absurd had been ‘nasty and inappropriate’.
He added: ‘It was not a nice way of doing it. She could have just said “No, we’d rather not do it”. She’s not talking to me, she’s talking to the United States of America.’
However, Martin Lidegaard, a former Danish foreign minister, said Mr Trump’s behaviour was ‘grotesque’ and he was ‘throwing a hissy fit’.
Former prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt said the cancellation was ‘deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark’ and Villy Sovndal, a former Danish foreign minister, said the decision ‘confirms that Donald Trump is a narcissistic fool’.
A spokesman for the Danish royal household said Queen Margrethe II was surprised by the cancellation.
The President, a real estate magnate, is likely to be interested in Greenland’s natural resources, such as coal, zinc, copper and iron ore, which will become more accessible as global warming melts its ice fields.
America also views the island as strategically important.
It built the Thule air force and radar base there at the start of the Cold War, which now carries out space surveillance and forms the northernmost part of the US ballistic missile early warning system. New sea routes are opening up as climate change accelerates the melting of ice in the Arctic region.
The island, which has a population of 55,000 mostly of Inuit descent, has been a Danish territory since 1814 and was granted home rule in 1979. It has high rates of suicide, alcoholism and unemployment and relies heavily on Danish financial support.
In 1946, the US offered to pay Denmark $100million (£82million) for it but this fell through.