Naaja H. Nathanielsen calls Trump's 'our Greenland' somewhat disrespectful but says she does not think much of it
Naaja H. NathanielsenMember of the Danish Folketing for Greenland (Inuit Ataqatigiit), in an interview with The Associated Press
In an interview with The Associated Press on October 14, 2026, Folketing member Naaja H. Nathanielsen said Trump calling the island our Greenland was somewhat disrespectful, that it could be read as a term of endearment by someone very generous, and that she did not think much of it. She also told AP that current resource projects were years from potential success.
“I think, of course, it's somewhat disrespectful ... But you can also see it as a term of endearment if you wanted to be very generous. Right now, I don't think much of it.”
Reporting
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Where this statement fits
Trump’s “permanent control” description of the announced U.S.-Denmark-Greenland security agreement
On September 18, 2026, President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that he said gives the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland.” Danish and Greenlandic officials initially described an expected agreement and emphasized sovereignty and self-determination. On September 22, the White House published an agreement text dated that day. It reaffirms Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self-determination; provides for U.S. defense areas and access under stated procedures; bars non-NATO states from establishing military installations unless the parties agree otherwise; and has no end date. The text says it enters into force only after diplomatic notice of necessary parliamentary procedures. The dispute remains over how Trump’s “permanent control” description compares with the document’s terms.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
AP report on Trump's October 14 Truth Social post about exploration in Greenland. It quotes Folketing member Naaja H. Nathanielsen, in an interview with AP, on the post and on Trump calling the island "our Greenland," and notes that the September agreement gives the United States no special exploration rights.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Early on October 14, Trump posted on Truth Social that massive oil, gas and mineral exploration was getting ready to begin in "our new and beautiful Greenland". Asked about the post, Nathanielsen told AP she was not very surprised or concerned and that this is just the way the president decides to engage.
After the quotation
Nathanielsen said she believed the post was aimed at Americans worried about gas prices before the election rather than at Greenlanders, and that there are no Greenlandic barrels of oil in any near future. AP reported that the September agreement gives the United States no special exploration rights.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Trump's description of the agreement as giving the United States permanent control over security and all other needs in Greenland, which his October 14 post extends by calling the island our new and beautiful Greenland. Nathanielsen calls that wording somewhat disrespectful but says it could be read generously and that she does not think much of it, which acknowledges the objection while downplaying its importance. The closest competing label is condemns, because she calls the phrase disrespectful. That loses because she qualifies the criticism at once and says the wording does not concern her.
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The Dispute Index. "Naaja H. Nathanielsen calls Trump's 'our Greenland' somewhat disrespectful but says she does not think much of it". First published: 2026-10-20. Last updated: 2026-10-20. https://disputeindex.com/events/6295-in-an-interview-with-the-associated-press-on