Vice President J.D. Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance are set to visit a U.S. military base in Greenland on Friday amidst rumors that President Donald Trump might purchase the island.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Energy Sec Chris Wright, and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) will join the Vice President and Second Lady on the trip, with the expectation that Air Force Two will arrive at roughly 10:45 CT, per ABC News.
Upon arrival, the group will travel to Pituffik Space Base, the furthest north U.S. military base in the world, according to CBS News.
The Office of the Vice President wrote in a statement about the trip that the “strategic partnership between the United States and Greenland has long played a vital role in our national and economic security.”
“During World War II, the United States established over a dozen military bases in Greenland to defend the North Atlantic from Nazi incursion. During the Cold War, the United States committed additional resources to Greenland to defend against Soviet missile attacks. In the decades since, neglect and inaction from Danish leaders and past U.S. administrations have presented our adversaries with the opportunity to advance their own priorities in Greenland and the Arctic. President Trump is rightly changing course,” continued the statement, per CBS News.
Vance is expected to meet with Greenland officials and argue that Danish leaders have “spent decades mistreating the Greenlandic people, treating them like second-class citizens and allowing infrastructure on the island to fall into disrepair,” as reported by the Associated Press.
The Trump administration has discussed Greenland extensively since the election, with the President stating earlier this week that the U.S. will “go as far as we have to go” to keep a presence on the island.
“We need Greenland. And the world needs us to have Greenland, including Denmark. Denmark has to have us have Greenland. And, you know, we’ll see what happens. But if we don’t have Greenland, we can’t have great international security,” he said, per The Hill.
Despite Trump’s claims that the U.S. could purchase Greenland during his time in office, most Greenland residents have voiced their disapproval of the purchase.
A recent poll among Greenland residents discovered that 85% would be against joining the U.S., and many residents, per CBS, also spoke out against this potential change.
“It’s all a bit crazy. Of course the population here is a bit shook up,” said Greenland resident Inuk Kristensen, per the AP.
“My opinion is the same as everyone’s: Of course you don’t do things this way. You don’t just come here and say that you want to buy the place.”
Although many are split on whether the U.S. and Greenland should reach an agreement, there is still no indication of whether a deal will be made.