▶ Watch Video: Is buying Greenland back on the table? Former U.S. diplomat gives insight
Washington — Vice President JD Vance is joining his wife, second lady Usha Vance, on her visit to Greenland this week, he announced, a trip that will now focus on a U.S. Space Force base there.
The White House previously said the second lady would arrive in Greenland Thursday and return on Saturday, and that she would visit “historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage, and attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race.”
But the vice president’s office now says the Vances will travel Friday to the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland to receive a briefing on Arctic security issues and meet with U.S. service members, and the base visit will take place in lieu of the second lady’s attendance at the Avannaata Qimussersu dogsled race in Sisimiut.
The vice president’s decision comes after Greenland’s prime minister said planned trips there by top Trump officials are “highly aggressive,” and as President Trump isn’t backing down on his hopes to acquire the semiautonomous territory of Denmark. National security adviser Mike Waltz has also been expected to visit Greenland soon.
“Hey guys, It’s JD Vance, the vice president,” Vance said in a video posted to social media. “And you know, there was so much excitement around Usha’s visit to Greenland this Friday that I decided that I didn’t want her to have all that fun by herself, and so I’m going to join her.”
“I’m going to visit some of our guardians in the Space Force on the northwest coast of Greenland, and also just check out what’s going on with the security there of Greenland,” Vance continued. “As you know, it’s really important. A lot of other countries have threatened Greenland, have threatened to use its territories and its waterways, to threaten the United States, to threaten Canada, and, of course, to threaten the people of Greenland. So we’re going to check out how things are going there.”
Vance didn’t explicitly mention Mr. Trump’s aspirations to acquire Greenland, but said they want to “reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland, because we think it’s important to protecting the security of the entire world.”
“Unfortunately, leaders in both America and in Denmark, I think, ignored Greenland for far too long,” he said. “That’s been bad for Greenland, it’s also been bad for the security of the entire world. We think we can take things in a different direction, so I’m gonna go check it out.”
Mr. Trump hasn’t given up on the idea of acquiring Greenland, despite being rebuffed by local officials.
Heather Conley, an expert on Arctic geopolitics and former deputy assistant secretary of state, told CBS Mornings the Trump administration is “absolutely right” that Greenland is strategic for the U.S. in protecting against Russian missiles and protecting U.S. airspace and maritime space, “but if we’re not careful, we’re going to, unfortunately, have our allies fear us and resist increasing our security and prosperity right now.”
Conley said multiple U.S. administrations have contemplated purchasing Greenland, so Mr. Trump isn’t the first. But NATO and a bilateral defense agreement with Denmark rendered that less necessary. And she’s concerned the Trump administration’s rhetoric will backfire.
“Yeah, I mean, and this is what is really backfiring, this type of rhetoric,” she said. “Again, we have a phenomenal ally in the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenlandic officials, that we have this rich history of defense cooperation. They are ready to increase defense spending. The Danish government has increased defense spending. They’re going to probably do it again. Very focused on — on the Arctic, Arctic security. They’re open for business for the United States. So that door is open. But when we sort of drop in private visits, we use this aggressive language now, officials are saying, you’re provoking us. You are threatening our territorial integrity, our national security. What is going on here?”