Greenland's "Demokraatit" party took the edge in Greenland's parliamentary election Tuesday, Reuters reported. The party favors independence, which has become particularly relevant after President Donald Trump began pushing for the U.S. to purchase the strategic island nation.
The unexpected results knocked out the Inuit Ataqatigiit, which is the party of current Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede. The Demokraatit candidate clinched 29.9% of the vote, demonstrating a considerable increase from the 9.1% it earned in 2021.
The Naleraq party, which also favors independence from Demark, came in second with 24.5% of the vote. The nation's population is only 57,000, but its location makes it a strategic staging point as China and Russia saber rattle in the area.
"People want change ... We want more business to finance our welfare," leader of the Demokraatit Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who is also a former minister of industry and minerals, said of the results. "We don't want independence tomorrow, we want a good foundation," Nielsen added.
As Fox News reported, Trump declared his intention after becoming the president-elect. When announcing Ken Howery as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Demark in December 2024, Trump wrote that "the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity" on his Truth Social.
However, this is not the first time Trump has floated the idea of buying Greenland. During Trump's first term, he planned a trip to Denmark but later called it off after the Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen called the proposal "absurd."
Trump's proposal was again shot down in January of this year, with Frederiksen and Egede both advising Trump that "Greenland is not for sale." Still, this hasn't deterred Trump from continuing to push the idea.
In his speech to the joint session of Congress earlier this month, Trump spoke to the people of Greenland. "We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and, if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America," he said.
"We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it… One way or the other, we’re going to get it," he added.
Although the election is over and Greenlanders have voted in favor of independence, there's still a long way to go before becoming part of the U.S. Even those eager to separate from Denmark are cautious about the next steps, including Neilsen.
"We don’t want to be Americans. No, we don’t want to be Danes," the newly-elected Demokraatit leader said Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. "We want to be Greenlanders, and we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves," he added.
On the American side, TurningPoint USA founder Charlie Kirk foresees a slow transition, if at all. "Greenland's legislature is strictly proportional, and a conservative, more pro-Denmark, more pro-gradual independence party got first overall, so they are a long way from joining America, but things are headed in the right direction," he posted to X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday.
Good news from Greenland! Elections were held yesterday, and Naleraq, a nationalist party that has the most pro-USA politicians in Greenland, had its best ever result and doubled its overall support.
Greenland's legislature is strictly proportional, and a conservative, more… pic.twitter.com/MY7rA5rp31
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 12, 2025
Trump's out-of-the-box thinking on many issues is part of the reason he's so successful. A presence in Greenland would give the U.S. an edge in keeping the likes of Russia and China at bay.
