Trump Taps Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry To Serve As U.S. Special Envoy To Greenland

The president has not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday announced he is appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to serve as the U.S. special envoy to Greenland, the vast, semi-autonomous territory of Denmark that Trump has said the U.S. needs to take over.

“Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World,” Trump said in announcing the appointment.

Trump during his presidential transition and in the early months of his return to the White House repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island.

The issue had drifted out of the headlines in recent months, but in August, Danish officials summoned the U.S. ambassador following a report that at least three people with connections to Trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.

Earlier this year, Vice President JD Vance visited a remote U.S. military base on the island and accused Denmark of underinvesting there.