Greenland rejects Trump’s hospital ship proposal, citing existing free healthcare system
Greenland’s prime minister publicly rebuked President Donald Trump on Sunday, rejecting his proposal to send a U.S. hospital ship to the Arctic territory and urging him to stop making “random” social media posts about its future.
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen issued the response in a pointed Facebook post following Trump’s announcement.
“We say no thank you from here,” Nielsen wrote. “President Trump’s idea of sending an American hospital ship here to Greenland has been noted. But we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens.”
The prime minister also contrasted Greenland’s system with that of the U.S., writing that, in America, “it costs money to go to the doctor.”
TRUMP TELLS DAVOS US ALONE CAN SECURE GREENLAND, INSISTS HE WON’T ‘USE FORCE’
Nielsen said Greenland is “always” open to dialogue with the U.S. but urged Trump to engage directly.
“Talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media,” he wrote. “Dialogue and cooperation require respect for decisions about our country being made here at home.”
On Saturday, Trump announced on Truth Social that his administration was working with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to send a hospital ship to Greenland to care for people who are sick and “not being taken care of there.”
RUSSIA, CHINA SQUEEZE US ARCTIC DEFENSE ZONE AS TRUMP EYES GREENLAND
Landry was designated special envoy to Greenland in December and has held formal discussions outlining Trump’s plans to strengthen Arctic security amid threats from Russia and China.
In late January, Landry spoke with NATO leaders and expressed support for a “framework of a future deal” to expand U.S. influence in the region.
TOP NATO OFFICIAL REVEALS DETAILS OF STUNNING MEETING WITH TRUMP THAT PRODUCED GREENLAND DEAL ‘FRAMEWORK’
Trump’s offer came after Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated a crew member from a U.S. submarine seven nautical miles outside Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.
The crew member was transferred by a Danish Defense Seahawk helicopter to a hospital in Nuuk and handed over to Greenlandic health authorities, the Joint Arctic Command said.
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The U.S. Navy operates two hospital ships – the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort – both of which were last docked in Alabama for repairs, according to Reuters.
Trump sending US military hospital ship to Greenland to ‘take care’ of sick
President Donald Trump‘s designs to take over Greenland have been quiet for a few weeks, but a Joint Arctic Command medical evacuation by Denmark on Saturday now has the U.S. sending a “great hospital boat” to take care of the “sick.”
“Working with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there,” Trump wrote Saturday night on Truth Social. “It’s on the way!!!”
Gov. Landry was designated the special envoy to Greenland in December and held formal discussions of the road map of Trump’s designs to solidify Arctic security from threats from Russia or China.
Then in late January, Landry spoke with NATO leadership and expressed support for a “framework of a future deal” to expand U.S. influence in the region.
TRUMP WARNS US CAN NO LONGER THINK ‘PURELY OF PEACE’ AS HE PUSHES FOR GREENLAND CONTROL
Landry, who was in Washington, D.C., for the national governors meeting late last week, thanked Trump for his support for Greenland.
“Proud to work with you on this important issue!” Landry replied on X to Trump’s Truth Social post.
The news comes as Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated a crew member who required urgent medical treatment from a U.S. submarine in Greenlandic waters, seven nautical miles outside of Greenland’s capital of Nuuk.
TOP NATO OFFICIAL REVEALS DETAILS OF STUNNING MEETING WITH TRUMP THAT PRODUCED GREENLAND DEAL ‘FRAMEWORK’
The crew member has been transferred to the Greenlandic health authorities via a Danish Defense Seahawk helicopter to a hospital in Nuuk, according to the Joint Arctic Command.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen did not directly reject Trump’s overture, but he did tell Danish broadcaster DR on Sunday that Greenland is all set.
“The Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs,” Poulsen said. “They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialized treatment, they receive it in Denmark.
TRUMP KEEPS MACRON UNDER SPOTLIGHT AS GREENLAND TALKS GRIND FORWARD FROM DAVOS
“So it’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland.”
Danish King Frederik paid a second visit to Greenland in a year last week, an attempt to demonstrate unity with the territory in the face of Trump’s push to buy the island.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen did not directly address the Trump post on his own Facebook account hours later, but she did extoll socialist ideology on healthcare “for all.”
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“Am happy to live in a country where there is free and equal access to health for all,” Frederiksen wrote in a translated post, sharing a Democrat attack point on Trump’s Republican Party’s struggles to reform what Trump has rebuked as a “failure” of Obamacare. “Where it’s not insurances and wealth that determine whether you get proper treatment. You have the same approach in Greenland.”
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The U.S. Navy has two hospital ships, the Mercy and the Comfort. Both were last docked in Alabama for repairs, according to Reuters.
Olympic hockey fans raise Greenland’s flag during USA’s dominant win over Denmark, sparking viral reaction
During Team USA’s comeback men’s hockey win over Denmark at the Winter Olympics, two fans raised the flag of Greenland in the stands to protest President Donald Trump’s intent to acquire Greenland for the U.S.
The flag was raised enthusiastically after Denmark took an early lead. However, the U.S. came back to win the game 6-3.
Vita Kalniņa and her husband Alexander Kalniņš, fans of the Latvian hockey team who live in Germany, held up a large Greenland flag during warmups and again when the Danish team scored the opening goal of the preliminary round game against the U.S., which ultimately beat Denmark 6-3.
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“We are Europeans, and I think as Europeans we must hold together,” Kalniņš told The Associated Press.
“The Greenlandic people decide what will happen with Greenland, but, as it is now, Greenland is a part of the Danish kingdom and, as Greenland is a part of Denmark, as in this case, we support both countries against the U.S.”
A Danish fan at the game, Dennis Petersen, said, “It doesn’t matter whatever sport it is — it could be tennis, it could be bobsledding, it can be ice hockey, it could be football — it has nothing to do with politics. … They are athletes, not politicians.”
An American fan at the game, Rem de Rohan, said, “I think this is the time for people to kind of put that down and compete country versus country and enjoy,” he said. “We love rooting on every country that’s been here.”
Fans on social media had their own reactions to the flag display and the result of the game.
“Now that the USA is up 4-2 could we place a wager that if the USA wins the game, Denmark gives up Greenland?” one fan wrote in response to the flag.
One fan wrote, “Team USA won, do we get Greenland now?”
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Another fan similarly said, “How did that turn out? we won, we get greenland now.”
Some American conservative influencers used the U.S. victory as a springboard to make viral jokes about annexing Greenland.
The comeback victory by the U.S. appeared uncertain early in the game.
After trailing 2-1 through the first period, the Americans dominated on offense to take a 6-3 victory over Denmark Saturday in the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.
The Americans scored three unanswered goals to open the second period, with 4 Nations hero Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators), Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights) and Noah Hanifin (Vegas Golden Knights) finding the back of the net.
Both sets of brothers on the team — Brady and Matthew Tkachuk and Jack and Quinn Hughes — each had a point in the contest. Fourteen players had points for the Americans with a different goal scorer each time the lamp was lit.
The Americans had 47 shots on goal compared to Denmark’s 21.
The U.S. ends preliminary play Sunday with a game against Germany at 3:10 p.m. ET. The Americans will once again be heavy favorites, and a victory will put them into the knockout stage.
The Americans can also go right to the knockout stage with an overtime loss. With a regulation loss, their fate would be determined by Canada’s game against France and point differentials with Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.
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But as a heavy favorite against a German team with just eight NHL players, the U.S. may not need to worry.
NATO launches Arctic security push as Trump eyes Greenland takeover
In the face of President Donald Trump’s concerns about Arctic security and his calls for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, NATO has launched a security effort called “Arctic Sentry.”
“Still, in the face of Russia’s increased military activity and China’s growing interest in the High North, it was crucial that we do more, which is why we have just two hours ago launched Arctic Sentry,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said during remarks on Wednesday.
“Initially, it will bring together exercises like Denmark’s Arctic Endurance and Norway’s Cold Response,” he noted.
VANCE: US SHOULD GET ‘SOME BENEFIT’ FROM GREENLAND IF IT’S GOING TO BE ‘ON THE HOOK’ FOR PROTECTING TERRITORY
Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that he had a “very productive meeting” with NATO’s Rutte.
“We have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations,” Trump wrote at the time.
RUSSIA, CHINA SQUEEZE US ARCTIC DEFENSE ZONE AS TRUMP EYES GREENLAND
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital on Thursday, a White House official said, “The Arctic is a critical region for U.S. national security and the economy. As an Arctic nation, the United States will pursue its security and economic interests and ensure safety, stability, and prosperity in the face of growing competition from China and Russia.”
A Wednesday press release from Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe noted, “Allied Command Operations (ACO), which is responsible for the planning and execution of all NATO exercises, activities and operations, began Arctic Sentry today.”
“The preparations for Arctic Sentry provided NATO planners with full visibility of Allied nations’ activities in the Arctic and High North. Moving forward, ACO will use Arctic Sentry to cohere these actions into one overarching operational approach to Allies’ increasing activities, which will enhance NATO’s presence there,” the press release notes.
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“These activities include, among others, Denmark’s Arctic Endurance, a series of multi-domain exercises designed to enhance Allied ability to operate in the region, and Norway’s upcoming exercise Cold Response, where troops from across the Alliance have already begun to arrive,” the release states.
Vance: US should get ‘some benefit’ from Greenland if it’s going to be ‘on the hook’ for protecting territory
Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the United States should get “some benefit” from Greenland if it’s going to “be on the hook for protecting this massive landmass.”
Vance told reporters in Armenia that, “it’s very early in the Greenland talks,” amid the Trump administration’s push to acquire the Danish territory.
“We’ve been working quite a bit on this over the last few weeks, but it’s just very simple. Greenland is very important to the national security of the United States of America,” Vance added.
“I do think that some of our allies have under-invested in Arctic security, and if we’re going to invest in Arctic security, if we’re basically going to pay a lot of money and be on the hook for protecting this massive landmass, I think it’s only reasonable for the United States to get some benefit out of that, and that’s going to be the focus of the negotiations here over the next few months,” Vance said.
RUSSIA, CHINA SQUEEZE US ARCTIC DEFENSE ZONE AS TRUMP EYES GREENLAND
President Donald Trump said in mid-January that the U.S. needs Greenland “for the purpose of national security.”
“It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!” Trump said at the time.
A week later, Trump said, “Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.”
NATO CHIEF WARNS EUROPE CAN’T DEFEND ITSELF WITHOUT US AS TENSIONS RISE OVER GREENLAND
“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations,” the president said on Truth Social.
However, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen then insisted that Denmark would not negotiate on its sovereignty despite Trump announcing the “framework” of a deal.
“Security in the Arctic is a matter for the entire NATO alliance. Therefore, it is good and natural that it is also discussed between NATO’s Secretary General and the President of the United States. The Kingdom of Denmark has long worked for NATO to increase its engagement in the Arctic,” Frederiksen noted in a statement, which was written in Danish.
“We have been in close dialogue with NATO and I have spoken to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on an ongoing basis, including both before and after his meeting with President Trump in Davos. NATO is fully aware of the position of the Kingdom of Denmark. We can negotiate on everything political; security, investments, economy. But we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty,” she asserted.
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Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said earlier this month that, “We are pursuing a diplomatic solution through negotiations” with the U.S. and that she is “hopeful and optimistic that we will find common ground that respect our red lines,” according to Reuters.
Canada and France opening new consulates in Greenland’s capital amid Trump pressure
Canada opened its consulate in Greenland’s capital and the first French consul to the Danish territory arrived on Friday, following the Trump administration’s efforts to acquire the island.
“I am en route to Nuuk for the opening of Canada’s new consulate — strengthening Canada’s presence, partnerships, and leadership in the Arctic,” Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand wrote on X Friday morning, later posting a video of the Canadian flag being raised in Nuuk.
She was joined by Governor General of Canada Mary Simon.
Canada had previously announced plans for the consulate in 2024, but its 2025 opening was delayed due to weather.
TRUMP SAYS FRAMEWORK OF ‘FUTURE DEAL’ ON GREENLAND REACHED AFTER NATO TALKS AS TARIFFS PUT ON HOLD
“The future of the Arctic belongs to the people of the Arctic. Tomorrow I will visit Denmark and then on to Greenland,” Simon said in a speech earlier this week. “Let me be clear, Canada stands firmly in support of the people of Greenland who will determine their own future.”
Jean-Noël Poirier also arrived in Nuuk to become the first French Consul General of Greenland on Friday, the French government said in a release.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the Nuuk consulate in June, making it the first European Union country to set up a consulate in Greenland.
The physical French consulate doesn’t exist yet.
TOP NATO OFFICIAL REVEALS DETAILS OF STUNNING MEETING WITH TRUMP THAT PRODUCED GREENLAND DEAL +’FRAMEWORK’
“Deep ties of friendship and key joint projects already link France, Denmark and Greenland, allowing all parties to look forward enthusiastically and confidently to the opening of this new consulate general,” the French government said.
It added, “France reiterates its commitment to respect for the Kingdom of Denmark’s territorial integrity.”
President Donald Trump has been insistent on acquiring Greenland, with administration officials claiming Denmark is unable to defend the semi-autonomous island.
“Greenland is one-fourth the size of the United States,” top White House aide Stephen Miller told Fox News last month. “With respect to Denmark, Denmark is a tiny country with a tiny economy and a tiny military. They cannot defend Greenland, they cannot control the territory of Greenland.”
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In January, Trump threatened to impose 10% tariffs that would increase to 25% in June on eight European countries, including France and Denmark, unless they allowed the U.S. to acquire Greenland.
The president dropped the tariff threat following a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in which Trump said a “framework” for a deal for security in the Arctic had been reached.
The U.S. reopened its consulate in Greenland in 2020 after closing it in 1953.
Russia, China squeeze US Arctic defense zone as Trump eyes Greenland
EXCLUSIVE: After U.S. officials detected a sharp rise in Russian and Chinese military incursions near Alaska — including a growing number of joint operations — Sen. Dan Sullivan is warning that the Arctic has become an active security front. And he’s pushing Congress to accelerate icebreaker construction, reopen Cold War–era bases and bolster U.S. defenses in the region.
Sullivan’s warning comes as new data show foreign military traffic near Alaska climbing sharply, a trend he says has gone largely unnoticed outside the region even as Moscow and Beijing coordinate more closely. He argues the activity has exposed how thin U.S. Arctic capabilities have become and why Washington is now scrambling to catch up.
“Let’s just say the world’s largest fleet of oceanographic survey ships wasn’t off the coast of Alaska to ‘save the whales,’” Sullivan told Fox News Digital in an interview.
President Donald Trump’s ongoing friction with Denmark over Greenland reflects the growing importance of the Arctic for the administration, Sullivan said. As melting ice opens new shipping lanes, energy access and military routes, Alaska is becoming a front line in the contest for economic and strategic dominance.
TRUMP SAYS GREENLAND’S DEFENSE IS ‘TWO DOG SLEDS’ AS HE PUSHES FOR US ACQUISITION OF TERRITORY
Plans to reboot far-flung military operations off Russia’s back door — recently revisited in Tom Cruise’s latest “Mission: Impossible” installment — along with crucial new port infrastructure and a major cash infusion to the U.S. Coast Guard are all efforts to demonstrate the only thing America’s adversaries respect, Sullivan said: “Power.”
Sullivan, R-Alaska, recently chaired a Senate Commerce Subcommittee hearing examining the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic presence and discussed a new U.S.-Finnish deal to secure crucial new icebreaker craft and funding from the recent tax-cut law funding for at least three USCG Arctic security cutters amid a record $25 billion total investment in Coast Guard prowess.
The U.S. currently has two, one of which is out of service, while the Russians have 54 icebreaker craft, “nuclear-powered and weaponized,” he said.
Sullivan shared data with Fox News Digital showing a sharp rise in Russian, Chinese and joint Sino-Russian military aircraft and maritime incursions into the U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone, or ADIZ, a security buffer stretching beyond 12-nautical-mile sovereign U.S. airspace where foreign craft are required to identify themselves.
Since 2019, there have been more than 100 Russian aircraft, four Chinese vessels and, most alarmingly, more than a dozen joint operations that have entered the ADIZ, Sullivan said.
Trump’s recent focus on Greenland underscored the urgency of Arctic national security, Sullivan said, echoing warnings from NATO commander USAF Gen. Alexus Grynkewich that China’s expanding “research” presence in the region is becoming increasingly aggressive.
NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP AT DAVOS, SAYS HE FORCED EUROPE TO ‘STEP UP’ ON DEFENSE
While the Russians identify with the Arctic, China’s self-moniker of a “near-Arctic power” is confounding and concerning, he added, pointing to its actual location on the globe.
Sullivan said the situation is reminiscent of Vladimir Lenin’s mantra that when you probe an enemy with a bayonet, “if you find mush, you push. If you find steel, you withdraw.”
The U.S., he said, must steel itself against these threats, and Congress must be on the front lines, ensuring the resources and defenses are ready and in service.
WHY TRUMP ZEROED IN ON GREENLAND AND WHY IT MATTERS IN 3 MAPS
“The only thing authoritarian regimes that are our adversaries understand is power. That’s U.S. energy security, Coast Guard, military assets and infrastructure.”
As the chairman of the Senate Commerce Coast Guard subcommittee, Sullivan said he is working hard to ensure that is what Moscow and Beijing will see, noting the new Storis icebreaker vessel received funding to home port in Juneau, along with 16 more icebreakers and $4.5 billion in shorefront infrastructure.
In addition, a World War II-era base on far-flung Adak in the Aleutian Chain is on track to be reopened, Sullivan revealed.
AMERICA DOESN’T NEED TO OWN GREENLAND — THERE’S A BETTER, MORE PEACEFUL WAY
The base, somewhat dramatized in “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning,” which featured a counter-Soviet listening post on nearby St. Matthew Island, was key to Allied defenses as Japan bombed present-day crabbing port Dutch Harbor and invaded Attu and Kiska islands, events less remembered than the Axis’ other Pacific attack at Pearl Harbor.
Adak’s Base largely closed down in 1994 after the end of the Cold War.
Sullivan revealed he secured $115 million to begin rebuilding Adak, paired with $500 million to establish a deepwater port in Nome, one of the closest cities to both Russia and the Arctic Ocean.
NATO CHIEF WARNS EUROPE CAN’T DEFEND ITSELF WITHOUT US AS TENSIONS RISE OVER GREENLAND
The state of Alaska matched that Nome investment and put $30 million of its own funds toward the new Adak project, Sullivan said. Gov. Mike Dunleavy separately told Fox News Digital that enhancing Alaska’s icebreaking capabilities and expanding the Coast Guard’s presence to safeguard the state’s coastline are key.
“[Further,] supporting life-saving missions and countering foreign influence in the Arctic are vital not only to our state but to the nation as a whole. Alaska stands ready to receive these icebreakers and leverage our geostrategic position to advance Trump’s America First agenda,” Dunleavy said.
Brent Sadler, a naval warfare expert and veteran at the Heritage Foundation, said the Arctic — and Antarctic — are also critical for space-based sensors detecting long-range missile attacks.
US COMMANDER SAYS RUSSIA AND CHINA’S ARCTIC PATROLS ARE ‘NOT FOR PEACEFUL PURPOSES’
“China and Russia have impacted our fishermen’s livelihoods with military exercises in our EEZ (exclusive economic zone) … (and) should be viewed as a threat. It needs to be deterred and pushed back on appropriately with an increased Coast Guard presence,” Sadler said.
Many of Russia’s incursions lately have originated in Anadyr, directly across the Bering Strait from Nome, and Adak sits just a few hundred miles east of Kamchatka, Russia.
Paired with Trump’s Golden Dome security initiative, Sullivan said now is the time to “plus-up” Arctic defenses as malign activity continues in his backyard.
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The “peace through strength” mantra is best served this way, he said, as each area targeted in the latest appropriation brings U.S. might right to Russia and China’s face, versus more populated but less strategic areas to build up like Kodiak and Anchorage.
“We’ve got to keep pedal-to-the-metal, and I give President Trump and his team a lot of credit. He was talking about Arctic issues and icebreakers and missile defense during his first term, and now we’re doing it,” Sullivan said.
“It’s important because the Chinese and Russians understand one thing: power — big flashy speeches without backing it up with military force don’t really mean anything.”
Greenland offers tourists ice fjords and hot springs, plus flights from US airports
With President Donald Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland for national defense and security reasons, the country also offers an arctic escape for tourists young and old.
While about 80% of the land is covered in ice, Greenland is a hot spot for ice fjords, hot springs, outdoor activities, wildlife and museums. It’s a “land of stark beauty and contrasts… [and] can feel like a world apart,” according to Frommers.
The capital of Greenland, Nuuk, is the biggest city in the country, with less than 20,000 people. It boasts restaurants, fashion boutiques, unique architecture and several museums, according to Visit Greenland.
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Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, as well as airports in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Houston, Seattle and San Francisco, all offer flights to Nuuk.
United Airlines launched the first-ever direct, seasonal flights from Newark to Nuuk last summer.
Nuuk features the Greenland National Museum and Archives, the Nuuk Art Museum and the Katuaq Cultural Center.
Outside Nuuk in West Greenland is Ilulissat, home of the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The area is home to Sermeq Kujalleq, which is one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world, according to UNESCO.
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Visitors can see massive icebergs while taking boat trips and going on nearby hikes.
Disko Bay, with its iceberg-filled waters, is popular for whale watching in summer.
South Greenland has greener landscapes and is home to Kujataa.
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A UNESCO cultural landscape, Kujataa is known for Norse and Inuit farming, hunting and fishing.
The Norse were Scandinavian Viking-era settlers who, led by Erik the Red from Iceland, established medieval farming colonies in southwestern Greenland around 985–986 CE, according to the Mariners’ Museum and Park and other sources.
“Sheep farming, in particular, is central to the region’s cultural landscape,” writes UNESCO.
“Mild summers and long daylight hours foster high-quality grazing, producing wool and meat essential for local livelihoods.”
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Southern Greenland is also popular for its 38-degree hot springs with crystal-clear waters — discovered over 1,000 years ago, according to Visit Greenland.
One of the most popular springs is the Uunartoq Hot Springs, which is surrounded by mountain peaks and drifting icebergs.
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In 2023, tourism to Greenland — including both arrivals by air and cruise passengers — reached an estimated 116,000 visitors, according to several sources.
Greenland’s total visitors in 2024–2025 were projected to be in the 120,000–140,000 range annually.
Fox News Digital reached out to Visit Greenland and the Greenland Representation in Washington, D.C., for comment.
DAN GAINOR: Leftists don’t understand the internet and it’s costing them the culture war
The Left can’t meme. That has been online reality for years. And they get indignant when the right does it. That’s been reality since the beginning of the political era of President Donald Trump. I still remember my favorite Trump meme – the one that redid his WWE appearance, yet turned it into a 2017 presidential smackdown of CNN. Hilarious. More so because of the media freakout.
Fast forward nearly nine years, and Trump is still meming and the press is still fuming. The latest meme pairs Trump with the infamous solitary penguin. The White House combined an iconic image of the penguin marching off on his own with Trump joining him. Add in an American flag and some Greenland mountains with the caption: “Embrace the penguin.”
The response was predictable – a blizzard of angry comments and awful headlines. First the awful: Forbes chimed in with, “TikTok’s ‘Nihilistic Penguin’ Meme, Explained.” Shockingly, they weren’t the only ones to put “nihilistic penguin” in headlines, which hopefully is a first for mankind. USA Today, The Independent and The Week all chimed in with similar word of the day headlines. There hasn’t been this much hatred for the penguin since the last Batman movie.
Then came the berserk ones from the Left. Under the header “Climate Change,” Gizmodo whined, “Trump Urges Americans to Embrace a Suicidal Penguin as ‘Doomsday Clock’ Hits 85 Seconds to Midnight.” The outlet tried to get all sciency by embracing an entirely bogus measure of how near doomsday is. These are the same people who are convinced Mother Nature is big mad at mankind.
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For an added little dig, it wrote: “There aren’t any penguins in Greenland.”
I want to write how no one cares, but clearly some in the press did. So, I’ll stick with no one important cared. There are only about 57,000 people in Greenland. It would have to look like the Opus-filled version of the Falklands (Human population 3,500, sheep population 500,000.) for people to care about the penguins in Greenland. Put another way, Greenland is similar to the population of mega cities like Kalamazoo, Mich., and nearby to me, Gainesville, Ga. But bigger than Alaska and California combined. “Hee Haw” fans, say it with me, “Salute!”
Trump and his multimedia minions don’t care about any of that. They care that they kept the entire world talking Trump and Greenland. And Trump. And the press looked silly freaking out about it. That’s a win, another win, another win. Oh, and a win.
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Sadly, Gizmodo wasn’t the only site made of soulless, humorless scolds – the Karens of the internet. Lefty Mediaite unknowingly embraced the “Ackchyually” meme while complaining, “White House Posts AI Slop of Trump and a Penguin in Greenland, Which Doesn’t Have Penguins.” The Hill went the same route, noting, “Users on social media were quick to mock the White House’s post, pointing out that penguins live almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere.”
The bitter folks at The Daily Beast had to remind their equally bitter readers of Trump’s age in their headline: “Trump, 79, Revives Greenland Fantasy With Absurd AI Post.” Yes, at 79, he’s still better at this game than the entire Daily Beast staff. Newsweek warned, “White House Meme About Greenland Penguin Sparks Jokes, Backlash.” Horrors, not “backlash.” That never happens.
The pre-Trump penguin image comes from a 2007 documentary “Encounters at the End of the World.” The White House responded to the silly media uproar, writing: “The penguin does not concern himself with the opinions of those who cannot comprehend.” That’s a paraphrase of the famous quote, “The lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinions of the sheep.” Sheep, my lefty journalism friends, means ya’ll.
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Normal online people (i.e., not the Gizmodo staff) also know the penguin is a metaphor. Conservatives, especially conservative men, see the penguin going off on his own as a statement that they don’t have to follow the crowd, that the penguin, “no longer belongs where everyone else is,” as one TikToker phrased it. That he can make his own way in the world.
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That is the essence of Trump’s appeal. The essence of America First, the opposite of the globalist nightmare that exported jobs and imported job takers. The U.S. doesn’t have to do what other nations do. The U.S. doesn’t have to commit cultural suicide, embrace open borders or censor online speech like Europe and the rest of the West. We don’t have to destroy ourselves in a modern version of World War I, like Russia. We can be strong, independent and successful.
We aren’t the 1985 propaganda hit, “We Are the World.” We are the penguin. Trump gets it. The press and their leftist allies never will.
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NATO chief warns Europe can’t defend itself without US as tensions rise over Greenland
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned European leaders that they need the U.S. in order to defend themselves, comments that come as tensions between the U.S. and Europe have escalated amid President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland.
“If anyone thinks here again that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the U.S., keep on dreaming. You can’t. We can’t. We need each other,” Rutte said Monday in Brussels to the European Parliament.
US COMMANDER SAYS RUSSIA AND CHINA’S ARCTIC PATROLS ARE ‘NOT FOR PEACEFUL PURPOSES’
Without U.S. support, European nations would be required to massively ramp up their defense spending to 10% of their GDP. NATO allies pledged to spend 5% of their GDP on defense last year on defense by 2035. Likewise, Europe would be forced to spend billions of dollars to create a new nuclear deterrent, absent the U.S.
“In that scenario, you will lose the ultimate guarantor of our freedom, which is the U.S. nuclear umbrella. So hey, good luck,” Rutte said.
Rutte’s comments come amid frustration from European allies as Trump has doubled down on his quest to acquire Greenland, and as several European leaders, including Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, have suggested the European Union create its own joint army.
Trump originally threatened to impose a 10% tariff on all goods from NATO countries that would increase to 25% in June until a deal was reached for the U.S. to secure Greenland, after NATO members dispatched troops to the Danish territory.
GREENLAND’S PRIME MINISTER SAYS ‘WE CHOOSE DENMARK’ OVER THE US
However, Trump backed down from these tariff threats after the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and announced in a post on social media Wednesday that the U.S. and NATO had established a “framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.”
Likewise, Trump pledged not to use military force to seize the island.
It’s unclear what the deal entails, and Trump told reporters Thursday on Air Force One that the deal was still being negotiated.
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Although Greenland has said it wants independence from Copenhagen, Denmark, and doesn’t want to join the U.S., Trump historically has voiced a desire to seize Greenland for the U.S. since his first administration.
Meanwhile, Greenland has said that it prefers to remain aligned with Denmark, despite the complicated history the two countries share due to Denmark’s treatment of Indigenous people on the island.
“If we have to choose between the USA and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told reporters Jan. 13, according to translated remarks. “We choose NATO, the Kingdom of Denmark and the EU.”
Still, Rutte said that Trump was correct to stay vigilant about security in the Arctic as Russia and China have both increased their presence there in recent years.
“I think he’s right. There is an issue with the Arctic region,” Rutte said. “There is an issue of collective security, because these sea lanes are opening up, and because the Chinese and the Russians are more and more active.”