Face of Nation : On Wednesday, the Danish royal palace responded to President Donald Trump’s cancellation of a visit to Denmark over their refusal to sell Greenland.
Lene Balleby, a spokesperson for the Danish royal palace, told the Associated Press that Trump’s cancellation was “a surprise” to them, though she did not give any other comments.
Trump had been invited to visit Denmark on Sept. 2 and 3 during a trip to Europe but abruptly announced his cancellation of the visit in a Tuesday evening tweet.
“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump wrote.
Denmark’s government has made it clear they have no interest in selling Greenland, which functions as a semi-autonomous Danish territory, to the U.S. Danish PM Frederiksen had called the overtures “absurd,” and the government of Greenland has said the territory is open for business, but “not for sale.”
Former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt wrote on Twitter that Trump’s cancellation of the trip was “deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark.” According to the Associated Press, former Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard told broadcaster TV2 that Trump’s cancellation was “a diplomatic farce.”
