REJECTED

Poll: 85% of Greenlanders Oppose Trump’s Plan for Them to Join U.S.

But almost half of respondents see President Trump’s interest in their country as an opportunity.

As much as President Donald Trump wants Greenland to become part of the United States, Greenlanders do not want to join the U.S. So says a poll conducted for Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq and Denmark’s Berlingske, which found that an overwhelming 85 percent of the Danish island territory’s residents oppose becoming a part of the United States. A mere 6 percent are in favor. Since he was elected in November, Trump has publicly advocated for taking control of Greenland, which is rich in untapped mineral resources, and suggested earlier this month that he would consider using military force to achieve his goal. Leading officials, including Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, have told Trump the territory is not up for sale, nor is it interested in becoming a part of the U.S. Meanwhile, the 497 respondents to the poll were split down the middle about Trump; nearly half said they see his interest in Greenland as an opportunity, and nearly half said they consider it a threat. Egede has advocated for Greenland becoming fully independent—a position that polls show has popular support—and for deepening economic relations with the U.S.