The vibes just got a little bit frostier, ahead of second lady Usha Vance’s upcoming trip to Greenland. (And that’s saying something for a country whose warmest region averages temperatures of around -4°C in March.) A Greenlandic tourism business announced on Wednesday it has canceled a planned meet-and-greet on her schedule over her—and the broader Trump administration’s—“underlying agenda” and declared, “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
Usha became the face of President Donald Trump’s latest attempts to win favor with Greenlanders when the White House announced Sunday that she would lead a March 27 delegation to “visit historical sites, learn about Greenlandic heritage, and attend the Avannaata Qimussersu, Greenland’s national dogsled race.”
Her trip quickly devolved into a political hot potato, however, as Trump continued his controversial push to takeover the autonomous island territory. (“We need Greenland for international safety and security,” Trump said in a Wednesday interview with podcaster Vince Coglianese, reported Politico.)
In a Facebook post in Greenlandic, Tupilak Travel wrote that it was contacted by the U.S. Consulate about Vance coming to their souvenir store in Nuuk on Friday. But after initially agreeing to her dropping in, and maybe picking up some postcards or yarn, the company said it had “after careful consideration” decided not to proceed with the visit.
They added that they “do not want to be part of the press show that will certainly follow.”
US representatives canvassed door-to-door in Greenland as part of a “charm offensive” to sound out whether residents would welcome a visit from Usha Vance, it has been claimed.
The second lady and one of her sons had been set to visit the Danish territory this week after Donald Trump continued to inflame tensions by announcing it should come under US control.
Ahead of her visit, staffers reportedly spent a week traipsing around Nuuk, the capital city, to gauge the feeling among residents.
Second lady Usha Vance has scrapped a plan to attend Greenland’s national dog sled race this week. But American tax dollars will help support the race anyway.
NPR has learned that the State Department has provided a grant to transport the dogs, sleds and racers by air from around Greenland for the race. The State Department did not provide a cost estimate, but a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly said it’s in the range of tens of thousands of dollars.
“The United States, through our Consulate in Nuuk, sponsored the transport of all dogs, sleds, and racers to and from 10 cities and towns around Greenland for the race,” a State Department spokesman told NPR in a statement. “We are still coordinating with race organizers to determine needs and fix a final amount of our sponsorship.”
This all comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cancelled more than 80% of foreign aid grants. Grants are now screened to determine whether they make the U.S. stronger, safer and more prosperous. At the same time, the Trump administration has made cuts to grants for USAID programs around the world and also frozen funding for Fulbright scholars.
Mikkel Jeremiasson, who chairs Greenland’s national dog sled race, told local reporters that the exact amount from the State Department for transporting the dogs, racers and equipment was substantial but the exact amount is confidential due to the terms of the agreement. Danish newspaper Berlingskereports that Air Greenland has been told to send invoices for the flights to the U.S. Consulate in the capital city, Nuuk.
Vance seems to like frosty reception. That is why he joined the Maga movement en became a Trump adapter
Another gift from this administration:
https://www.tpr.org/public-health/2025-03-27/west-texas-children-treated-for-vitamin-a-toxicity-as-medical-disinformation-spreads-alongside-measles-outbreak