Jørgen Hammeken-Holm
Role at the time: Permanent secretary of Greenland's Ministry of Mineral Resources, described by CNN as Greenland's deputy mining minister, speaking to CNN
Statement summary
Jørgen Hammeken-Holm, head of the administration of Greenland's Ministry of Mineral Resources, told CNN on October 14, 2026, that U.S. companies are active in Greenland but that Greenland is very far away from massive exploration. He said many smaller explorations are underway but could take years to become operational.
“there are activities by US companies ... we are very far away from 'massive' exploration ... There are many smaller explorations underway but these could take years to become operational”
Why we used this label
Relative to 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 to imminent massive resource exploration, Hammeken-Holm acknowledges U.S. company activity but says Greenland is very far from massive exploration and that smaller projects could take years. That disputes Trump's account of what is about to happen without condemning the agreement or Trump. The closest competing label is minimizes. That loses because he does not downplay a concern; he corrects the scale and timing Trump described.