A prominent tourism firm in Greenland is canceling a planned visit by Usha Vance during her tour of the island, The Independent reported on Thursday.
Already, the planned trip of the U.S. Second Lady, the latest in multiple trips by prominent Trumpworld figures to the Danish-held island territory, had ignited a firestorm of controversy, with some analysts accusing her of playing a "good-cop, bad-cop routine" in President Donald Trump's vow to purchase the island.
"The U.S. Consulate initially reached out to Tupilak Travel in Nuuk ahead of the days-long visit, during which the second lady and one of her children would 'immerse themselves' in Greenlandic culture and visit the annual dogsled race," according to the report. "The White House said on Tuesday that J.D. Vance would join his wife on the trip – but that the couple would only spend a day there visiting the U.S. Pituffik Space Base, on the northwestern coast."
Tupilak Travel issued a statement on the decision.
“When the American consulate called yesterday to ask if the wife of the U.S. Vice President, Usha Vance, could visit our store on Friday, we replied that she was welcome. After all, everyone is welcome in our store," said the firm. “However, upon further consideration, we have now informed the consulate that we do not wish to host her visit, as we cannot accept the underlying agenda and do not want to be part of the media spectacle that will inevitably follow.”
The business concluded by proclaiming that "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders."
U.S. interest in acquiring Greenland dates back to the 19th century, as the island is rich in natural resources and has a strategically critical location for military operations in the Arctic. These ambitions largely were tabled after the formation of the NATO alliance, which allowed U.S. access to the island for military purposes; however, Trump, long disdainful of NATO's usefulness, is insistent on the island being American outright.
Denmark has made clear Greenland is not for sale, and are ramping up military defense around the island. Even the growing faction of Greenlanders who want independence from Denmark prefer an alliance with the United States over acquisition.