Greenland’s New PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen Pushes Back Against Trump’s Take-Over Effort: ‘We Want To Be Greenlanders!’

Greenland’s new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to take control of the world’s biggest island. 

Nielsen said the people of Greenland should be allowed to choose their future as they strive to become independent from Denmark.

>More: Trump Was ‘Confrontational’ On Call With Danish Prime Minister Over Greenland’s Future

Nielsen represents the Demokraatit pro-business faction, paving the way for independence. He won in a surprise victory in the parliamentary election to beat out the left-leaning parties that formed the last government.

Nielsen’s campaign focused on healthcare and education rather than Trump’s effort to seize the island. 

“We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves,” Nielsen told Britain’s Sky News.

Nielsen’s comment did not stop Trump from telling NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Greenland’s election was very good for the U.S.

Denmark’s foreign minister and former prime minister, Lokke Rasmussen, spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 24. 

Rasmussen said that the conversation had a “good and constructive tone” as they discussed “the Arctic region” as well as other issues like Ukraine. The State Department said that Rubio and Rasmussen “discussed the importance of deepening bilateral and regional cooperation on security and defense, economic and trade matters, and ending the war in Ukraine” and that Rubio “reaffirmed the strength of the relationship.”