Officials in Denmark and Greenland on Monday reacted with anger to President Trump’s decision to appoint a special envoy to Greenland, as he intensifies his efforts to take over the semiautonomous Danish territory.
Mr. Trump announced on social media on Sunday that he was appointing Governor Jeff Landry of Louisiana, a political ally, to the position. Denmark’s foreign minister quickly criticized the move as “totally unacceptable” and said he would summon the American ambassador in Copenhagen for an explanation.
It appeared to be the first time the United States had appointed a special envoy to Greenland. That gives the territory — a gigantic frozen island inhabited by fewer than 60,000 people — something in common with the war in Ukraine, the conflicts in the Middle East, and a handful of other issues; Mr. Trump has tapped someone close to him to manage all of these as priorities.
Mr. Landry quickly made it clear that he understood what Mr. Trump wanted from him, writing on X: “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S.”
In a post on Truth Social, Mr. Trump wrote that “Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security.”
But the appointment drew condemnation from Greenland and further deteriorated the relationship between the United States and Denmark, which used to be close allies.
“You cannot annex other countries,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark and Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen of Greenland said in a joint statement on Monday. “Not even by invoking international security. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, and the United States must not take over Greenland.”
Mr. Nielsen added in a statement on Facebook that the appointment “may sound big,” but “doesn’t change anything for us at home.”
“We decide our future ourselves,” Mr. Nielsen said.
Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Denmark’s foreign minister, told Danish television on Monday that he was “deeply upset” by Mr. Trump’s announcement and that he planned to summon Ken Howery, who became the American ambassador to Denmark in October.
The Danish government has twice this year summoned American diplomats to complain about reports that the United States was spying and running a covert influence campaign in Greenland. Earlier this month, in a first for the Danish government, Denmark’s military intelligence said that shifts in American policy were generating new uncertainties for Denmark’s security.
The appointment of a special envoy for Greenland could put pressure on Mr. Howery, a former executive at PayPal who is considered close to Mr. Trump. In November, Mr. Howery dodged a question from journalists about whether the United States would ever take Greenland by force, but he pledged cooperation.
“I very much look forward to working with my colleagues in the Danish government on our shared concerns regarding security in the Arctic,” he said, according to DR, the Danish broadcaster.
Mr. Landry, a Republican who was elected Louisiana’s governor in 2023, has spent his first term projecting toughness and loyalty to Mr. Trump. The president often calls Mr. Landry a “great governor.”
Mr. Landry has prioritized tackling crime, particularly in New Orleans. He has enthusiastically supported Mr. Trump’s use of the National Guard, asking the president in September to deploy as many as 1,000 National Guard troops in his state.
Danish officials and analysts said that while the United States has previously appointed envoys for the entire Arctic region, Mr. Landry would be the first special envoy just for Greenland.
Mikkel Runge Olesen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, described the move as a “significant escalation” by Mr. Trump, who has threatened to acquire Greenland through a financial transaction or military force several times since he returned to the Oval Office.
“It is not as if there is an abundance of special envoys,” Dr. Olesen said. “So when one is appointed with the purpose of asserting control over Greenland, it signals that Greenland is very much in focus at the highest level.”
Amelia Nierenberg is a Times reporter covering international news from London.
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