As President Donald Trump keeps talking publicly about taking control of Greenland, a Danish lawmaker has gone viral for delivering an unusually blunt message in the European Union’s legislative chamber.
European Parliament member Anders Vistisen addressed Trump during a recent speech, saying, “Dear President Trump, listen very carefully. Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It is an integrated country. It is not for sale.”
He then added, “Let me put this in words you might understand: Mr. President, f–k off.”
Vistisen, 38, continued speaking in Danish, but the session’s presiding officer quickly stepped in to condemn the language.
“I am sorry, this is against our rules,” he told the lawmaker. “As much as you might feel, or the room might feel in this, we have clear rules about cuss words and language that is inappropriate in this room. I am sorry to interrupt you, but it is unacceptable, even if you might have strong political feelings about this.”
Vistisen’s remarks come as Trump has repeatedly argued the United States should take control of Greenland — a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO ally of the U.S. — citing national security concerns.
In a Jan. 20 post on Truth Social, Trump said he planned to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and other world leaders during this week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Donald-Trump-East-Room-White-House-011026-b7da9cc9a44e4277ba99cf72169ad42b.jpg)
“As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back — On that, everyone agrees!” Trump, 79, wrote. “The United States of America is the most powerful Country anywhere on the Globe, by far… We are the only POWER that can ensure PEACE throughout the World — And it is done, quite simply, through STRENGTH!”
In a Jan. 18 letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump tied his loss of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to his current focus on Greenland.
PBS NewsHour reporter Nick Schifrin first posted the copy of the letter, which was later confirmed by Støre.
In it, Trump wrote, “Dear Jonas: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.”
The warning came despite the fact that Støre was not responsible for Trump’s Nobel loss — Peace Prizes are awarded by a five-person committee appointed by Norwegian Parliament — nor does Norway control the fate of Greenland.
Nevertheless, Trump continued, “Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also.”
“I have done more for NATO than any other person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States,” he concluded. “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT.”
In addition to criticism from Danish officials, Trump’s Greenland comments have also appeared to strain relationships with some of America’s closest allies.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the issue during a recent press conference, emphasizing Canada’s commitment to its NATO obligations: “We are NATO partners with Denmark, and so our full partnership stands. Our obligations on Article 5, Article 2, stand.”
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, chartered on April 4, 1949, reads, in part, “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also issued a rare public critique of Trump during a Jan. 19 press conference, saying that “any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone.”
