In the past month, President-elect Donald J. Trump has repeatedly discussed the United States' desire to buy Greenland, and during a lengthy news conference on Tuesday, he refused to rule out the use of military force to achieve this goal.
In a more subtle act of geopolitics, before Mr. Trump's remarks, the newly-proclaimed king of Denmark, Frederick XDenmark has made changes to its royal coat of arms that reaffirm its kingdom's commitment to the sovereign territory of Greenland.
The Danish royal coat of arms – a more elaborate symbol than the kingdom's national coat of arms – previously featured a panel with three crowns representing the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Those crowns have now been removed, with separate panels dedicated to Greenland (represented by the polar bear) and the Faroe Islands (represented by the ram). In the earlier royal coat of arms, Greenland's polar bear was in the same lower left panel, but smaller.
A statement The Danish Royal House said of the new design, “The Faroe Islands and Greenland each have their own area, which reinforces the Kingdom's influence on the royal coat of arms.” The royal coat of arms is a coat of arms intended for the personal use of the king, as well as a state symbol.
According to the statement, the royal coat of arms was displayed to the public last week when a flag was raised at Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen for the royal family's New Year's party, where it was also seen on royal cars as guests arrived.
Lars Hovbakke Sorensen, an expert on the Danish royal family, said this in an interview TV 2 the modest nature of the design change didn't make it any less expressive.
“It is important for Denmark to state that Greenland and the Faroe Islands are part of the Danish kingdom and that this is not negotiable,” he said. “That's how you mark it.”
If changing the heraldic design seems like a discreet way to convey a political message, Mr. Trump, by comparison, was nothing more than emphasizing his position. interest American territorial expansion into Greenland.
In a Truth Social post last month announcing his selection of diplomat and PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as ambassador to Denmark, Mr. Trump said: “For the purposes of national security and liberty, the United States of America considers possession and control of Greenland absolutely necessary.
She reiterated her intention in a post on Monday, saying her son Donald Trump would soon be visiting Greenland. “Greenland is an incredible place,” he said, “and people will benefit greatly if it becomes part of our nation.”
Mr. Trump when he was little came On Tuesday in the island's capital, Nuuk, he told reporters waiting for him at the airport with an entourage, including conservative activist Charlie Kirk, that he was making a short visit as a tourist.
But his visit was considered provocation by some in the region. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen encouraged more direct interpretation in a way that the redesign of the royal coat of arms could not, addressed In a televised speech, the public emphasized that Greenland was not decided by politicians, but by its people.