During visit to Greenland

Trump apparently staged homeless people as fans

Donald Trump Jr. takes a selfie with a Greenlander.

(Bild: AFP/Emil Stach)

During their visit to Greenland, Donald Trump Jr. and his companions reportedly carried out a propaganda stunt. People were recruited with the prospect of a free lunch in a posh hotel in order to portray them as Trump supporters in videos.

This was reported by the Danish radio station DR. Several sources told the broadcaster that the videos surrounding the short trip by the son of US President-elect Donald Trump included several homeless people and other socially disadvantaged people, who were often seen outside a supermarket next to the hotel.

Harsh criticism of Trump: "Extremely tasteless"
"These are homeless and elderly people who can suddenly eat in a restaurant they've never been to before," a long-time resident of the capital Nuuk was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.

To be there, all they had to do was put on "Make America Great Again" caps and participate in the Trump staffers' videos (see tweet below). "They're being bribed, and that's in extremely poor taste," he said.

Videos from the newspaper "Ekstra Bladet" also showed how people on the street were approached by Trump employees and given "maga" caps. They include an elderly woman wearing such a cap who did not even know the name of the person she was supposed to eat with - Trump Jr. She simply went along, she said. 

An avowed Trump supporter who showed Trump Jr. around the Greenlandic capital Nuuk denied to DR that the people had been "recruited" outside the supermarket. Rather, they had stood outside the hotel themselves and shown interest.

Trump steps up his rhetoric
Nevertheless, Trump continues to exploit his son's trip in the media. In a post on his social network Truth Social, the 78-year-old thanked the Greenlanders for treating his son and other representatives "so nicely". He also posted a video in which Greenlanders wearing "maga" caps praise him, endorse the purchase of Greenland by the USA or agree with the question of whether they wanted to be part of America.

"We'll see you again - soon!" Trump wrote. It is unclear whether he is actually planning a trip to the island, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. On Thursday, he added at a press conference in Florida: "As you can see in the videos, the Greenlanders would love to become a state of the USA."

Denmark and NATO take Trump statements seriously
Donald Jr.'s trip to Greenland attracted a great deal of attention, as his father has repeatedly expressed his desire for Greenland, which is part of the Danish kingdom, in the past. Trump had recently not ruled out using military or economic coercion to gain control of the world's largest island.

Several European NATO states reacted to these statements with criticism and a lack of understanding. Austria also insisted that Greenland's territorial integrity and sovereignty must be respected.

In Germany, Green Party candidate for chancellor Robert Habeck said that Europe must "stand together". "Europe must not allow itself to be divided at this point. If we now say that the Danes have to do this alone, then we are betraying Denmark," said the German Vice-Chancellor in a Focus Online video podcast on Friday.

Trump's statements are being taken very seriously in Denmark. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's government briefed the leaders of the parliamentary parties on the matter on Thursday evening. Frederiksen then told reporters that a meeting with Trump had been proposed, but that she did not expect this to take place until after the Republican had been sworn into office on January 20.