“It’s cold as s*** here,” said the US vice president when he touched down in Greenland.
He meant it, both literally and metaphorically.
There was no warm welcome from islanders for JD Vance and the second lady.
A small US team with a list of engagements evolved into a large delegation and just one engagement.
Everything changed when the organisers of a dogsled race, an annual spectacle on the cultural calendar, said the Americans weren’t invited.
The scaled-up US delegation and scaled-down schedule did little to address the concerns of Greenlanders.
The White House didn’t just send the vice president, they sent embattled national security advisor Mike Waltz too.
Instead of being greeted by residents, they were greeted by their own troops manning an outpost tasked with warning them about long-range missile attacks.
And the vice president, who’s fast becoming the chief critic of Europe, made Denmark the focus of his attack.
But listen carefully to his speech and you’ll hear the same word twice: “think”.
“This is what we think is going to happen” re. their hopes islanders will vote for independence from Denmark and then engage with America.
“We do not think military action will be necessary,” he added, when asked about that potential.
There is a world of difference between thinking something and knowing something.
So, what happens if what JD Vance “thinks” will or won’t happen doesn’t come to pass?
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Why does Trump want to take over Greenland?
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Back in Washington DC, the president of the United States gave the answer.
“It’s not a question about whether we can do without it (Greenland). We can’t,” he said.
And Donald Trump has never ruled out taking the island by force.
