‘It’s very unpredictable’: divided Greenland prepares to vote amid Trump-inspired existential crisis

Even before Trump’s inauguration in January, he was aggressively mooting a renewed version of his first-term idea of “buying” Greenland – which his administration sees as a valuable asset for its strategic location and its considerable natural resources – this time with threats of military action and tariffs if Denmark did not comply. This came after a whistlestop private visit to the capital, Nuuk, by his son, Donald Trump Jr, which despite being a private trip was broadcast across the world on social media by his entourage.

Among an electorate where little polling takes place, analysts are reluctant to predict whether the ­coalition led by Greenlandic prime minister Múte Egede, of Inuit Ataqatigiit (the ruling democratic socialist pro-independence party) will remain in power. Naleraq, Greenland’s largest opposition party, has been gaining traction with its prominent voice for independence and openness to collaborating with the US.