The Prime Minister of Denmark conveys his future decision to Trump in Greenland

Trump has not publicly responded to this challenge. However, he reposted a 2019 poll on his TruthSocial account showing that 68% of Greenlanders supported independence from Denmark.

An independence referendum is thought to be on the cards and Denmark has said it will respect any outcome.

When Trump was last president, he said he wanted to buy Greenland. When Frederiksen called the proposal “absurd”, he abruptly canceled his trip to Denmark.

The Danish government said that Frederiksen stressed in his phone conversation with Trump that “Danish companies contribute to growth and jobs in the United States and that the EU and the United States have a common interest in strengthening trade.”

Last week, Trump threatened Denmark with high tariffs if it did not give up Greenland.

The proposal raised alarm among Danish industry leaders, as the US is Denmark’s second largest export market and any targeted tariffs would have a significant impact on the Danish economy.

On Thursday, Frederiksen will hold what Danish media called a “crisis meeting” with business leaders, including the CEOs of beer giant Carlsberg and Novo Nordisk, a popular US maker of obesity and diabetes drugs.

It will also host an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Policy Council with various members of parliament.

Aaja Chemnitz, a member of the Greenlandic parliament, said that Frederiksen was satisfied that any decision regarding Greenland should be made by the Greenlanders.

“I have great confidence in the Prime Minister’s task and I have great confidence in Egede. I think it is important for them to have a close dialogue.”

Earlier this week, Egede said his government was ready to start a dialogue with the incoming Trump administration.

But opposition MP Rasmus Jarlov said he did not like Frederiksen’s approach.

Writing in X, he said: “It is completely unacceptable that (Frederiksen) renounced Denmark’s rights in Greenland and gave sovereignty only to (Greenland’s) self-government while talking to the US president.”

Trump’s comments and his son’s visit to Greenland last week caused great concern in Denmark. Faced with the prospect of angering what he repeatedly calls “Denmark’s closest ally”, Frederiksen measured his words as he emphasized Greenland’s right to self-determination.

Hans Redder, political editor of TV2, said that the fact that Trump spent 45 minutes on the phone with Frederiksen “shows that this Greenland issue is really something that is on Trump’s mind – it’s not just a passing thought.”