Before leaving on board his father’s private jet, nicknamed Trump Force One, 47-year-old Trump Jr said on his podcast Triggered: “No, I am not buying Greenland” – although he said he did love it there.
The president-elect’s eldest son played a key role during the 2024 US election campaign, frequently appearing at rallies and in the media.
Another of his father’s social media posts included a video featuring an unnamed Greenlander telling Trump to buy Greenland and free it from “being colonised” by Denmark.
The identity of the man in the clip was unclear, however Danish media reported that he had a jail conviction six years ago for drugs offences.
Greenland lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important for the US. It is also home to a large American space facility.
Hours after President-elect Trump repeated his interest in buying Greenland last month, the Danish government announced a huge boost in defence spending for the island. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described the announcement’s timing as an “irony of fate”.
On Monday, King Frederik X changed the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature representations of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Some have seen this as a rebuke to Trump, but it could also prove controversial with Greenland’s separatist movement.
King Frederik used his New Year’s address to say the Kingdom of Denmark was united “all the way to Greenland”, adding “we belong together”.
But Greenland’s prime minister used his own New Year’s speech to say that the island must break free from “the shackles of colonialism”.
Trump is not the first US president to suggest buying Greenland. The idea was first mooted by the country’s 17th president, Andrew Johnson, during the 1860s.
Separately in recent weeks, Trump has threatened to reassert control over the Panama Canal, one of the world’s most important waterways. He has accused Panama of charging excessive fees for access to it.
Panama’s president responded by saying “every square metre” of the canal and surrounding area belonged to his country.