Socially vulnerable locals were allegedly offered a free meal in exchange for supporting the incoming president’s plan to take over the island
Donald Trump’s eldest son and his team bribed homeless and socially vulnerable people in Greenland to record a ‘MAGA’ group video and appear in photos during a trip to the island this week, the Danish state broadcaster DR News has claimed.
Trump Jr. arrived in Greenland on Tuesday on what he has called a “personal day trip” during which no meetings with government officials were planned. The visit followed US President-elect Donald Trump’s voicing his intention to acquire the Danish-controlled territory.
The younger Trump later shared posts on X of himself surrounded by people wearing the iconic red ‘MAGA’ caps with the caption ‘Greenland loves America and Trump.’ A video clip showed people enjoying lunch with Trump Jr. at the Hotel Hans Egede in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, and expressing their wish for the island to become part of the US.
DR News has since reported that the people filmed in the video were offered a free meal in exchange for taking part in the publicity stunt.
The outlet said it has spoken to several people in Nuuk who reportedly recognized some in the group as being homeless.
“All they have to do is put on a cap and be in the Trump staff’s videos,” one of the Nuuk residents was quoted as claiming. “They are being bribed, and it is deeply distasteful,” the resident stated.
Several employees at the local Brugseni Nuuk store also confirmed to the outlet that Trump Jr.’s people walked around the street in front of the store, handing out MAGA caps and inviting people to a free lunch at the hotel, the sources said.
The incoming president has voiced his intention to acquire Greenland, claiming the island is an “absolute necessity” for US national security, and that he would not rule out using either military force or economic measures to this end.
The world’s largest island, which sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, Greenland is already home to a large US military base. The territory was granted home rule by Denmark following a referendum in 1979.
Greenland’s government has firmly rejected Trump’s plans, calling them “an absurd idea.” Denmark has also opposed the proposal.
