‘What is the national security adviser doing in Greenland?’

“The fact that the Americans are well aware we are in the middle of negotiations,” said Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the leader of the most popular political party, “once again shows a lack of respect for the Greenlandic people”.

Greenlanders have become increasingly wary of Trump’s intentions. A recent poll found that a vast majority of people on the island, which lies along the Arctic Ocean and is mostly covered in ice, do not want to become part of the US. Still, many have also voiced a desire to improve relations with Washington. Until now, most Greenlandic officials have tried to walk a fine line, asserting their sense of sovereignty while avoiding antagonising Trump.

The Trump administration has presented the visit as friendly, saying in a statement on Sunday that Vance would travel with one of her children and attend a national dog sled race.

“Ms Vance and the delegation are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity,” the statement said.

Separately, Waltz is expected to tour a US military base, two US officials said. The US has a small missile defence base on the northern part of the island and has kept troops on Greenland since World War II.

Wright is expected to join Waltz to see the base, according to another person with knowledge of the visit, as the Trump administration eyes rare earth minerals and other resources on Greenland. Potentially lucrative resources are scattered all around the island, but extreme weather, fired-up environmentalists and other factors have tempered hopes of large-scale operations.

Other senior administration officials may also visit, according to one of the officials, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the trip.

A spokesperson for Waltz did not respond to a request for comment.

A White House spokesperson did not answer a question about whether the officials had been invited.

Trump has continued to ratchet up his talk of seizing Greenland, part of an expansionist mindset in his second term that has also taken aim at Canada and the Panama Canal. Trump privately spoke about both in meetings during his first term, and some of his advisers explored the idea of acquiring Greenland, which had been an on-and-off national security proposal in the US for decades.

Soon after his election in 2024, he began pushing advisers to find a way to make a Greenland acquisition a reality. The idea of retaking the Panama Canal soon followed.

Greenland has been connected to Denmark for more than 300 years. The Danes colonised it, but over time folded it into Denmark, which granted the Greenlanders more autonomy to run their affairs.

Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, made clear on Sunday that neither Denmark nor Greenland had solicited the trips.

“The visit from the United States cannot be seen in isolation from the public statements that have been made,” Frederiksen said. She added, “This is something we take seriously.”

This will be Vance’s second solo trip internationally as second lady. The other was a visit this month to Italy leading the US delegation to the Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Egede did not seem placated by Vance’s stated plans to soak up Greenlandic culture.

“We are now at a point where it can no longer be described as an innocent visit from a politician’s spouse,” he said, adding that “the international community must now react”.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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