Donald Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, embarrassed himself on his first visit to the Arctic island that the president has threatened to seize, according to insiders.
Louisiana Gov. Landry, 55, set off to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, on Sunday, saying he wanted to make “a bunch of friends” and “build relationships” on Trump’s orders.
But his reception has been frosty. One local is reported to have greeted him with a middle finger, according to The New York Times. Others rejected his offers of MAGA hats, while children didn’t warm to his promise of unlimited chocolate chip cookies should they come to his mansion in Louisiana.
Senior European diplomats told London’s The Telegraph that Landry, who was appointed to the special envoy role in December, was “making a fool out of himself” in his attempt to woo the people of Greenland this week.
The semiautonomous island of Greenland is part of Denmark and houses a U.S. Space Force base. Trump, 79, has repeatedly argued that acquiring mineral-rich Greenland is necessary for national security, citing its strategic location in the Arctic, and he is seeking a greater military presence in the region.
The president previously declared that the U.S. would “get” Greenland “one way or the other,” sparking outrage from Greenlandic and Danish officials.
The diplomatic source told The Telegraph that Landry was “embarrassing” himself.
The same source claimed Landry “invited himself” to meetings, while Reuters reported that when Landry arrived Sunday in Nuuk, he had no official meetings scheduled.
Even a White House official appeared baffled by the trip, telling The Telegraph: “What the f---?”
After meeting Landry on Monday, Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, 34, reiterated that Greenland is not for sale.
“The Greenlandic people are not for sale. Greenlandic self-determination is not something that can be negotiated,” Nielsen told Danish broadcaster TV 2.
He doubled down in comments to DR, Denmark’s public broadcaster.
“We have our red lines,” Nielsen said. “And no matter how many chocolate cookies we get, we are not going to change them.”
Residents of Nuuk also blasted the visit as “tone deaf,” according to the Times.
“They should fix their own country first,” one local said, while another added: “They need to get out.”
In a statement to the Daily Beast, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Landry “is attending the Future Greenland Conference to further strengthen U.S.–Greenlandic ties and engage with local leaders.“
Wales described Landry’s meeting with Nielsen as “productive” with “both sides affirming the importance of the high-level working group.”
“The United States is optimistic that we are on a good trajectory to address U.S. national security interests in Greenland,” Wales added. “Governor Landry is doing a great job and is a strong asset to the world-class team that President Trump has put together to pursue long-term peace both at home and abroad.”
