This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
Tensions are escalating between the United States and Europe after President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European allies that oppose his push to take over Greenland, the semiautonomous territory of Denmark. On Sunday, Trump sent a text message to Norway’s prime minister, writing, quote, “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.” Trump went on to write, “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland,” unquote. Earlier today, President Trump posted a mock image of himself alongside Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio planting an American flag on Greenland.
Over the weekend, thousands took part in protests in Greenland and Denmark, many wearing red MAGA hats — as in “Make America Go Away.” European leaders denounced Trump’s threats and are weighing cutting off U.S. companies to the EU market — a move known as the EU’s trade bazooka.
For more, we go to Copenhagen, where we’re joined by Julie Rademacher. She’s the chair of an organization for Greenlanders in Denmark that was among the main organizers of the protests for unity and support for Greenland this weekend across cities in Greenland and Denmark. It’s called [Uagut].
We thank you so much for being with us. Can you respond to President Trump saying he will militarily take Greenland?
JULIE RADEMACHER: Well, I have a message also for the American people and for all of you in the U.S. We have for several years had a very good cooperation. We’ve seen you as the protectors, also in Greenland and also in Denmark. But now you are our threat. Your president is going to do something very bad for Greenlanders and are threatening us with annexing our country. So, I have a very clear message for you, that you are better than Donald, and you also can do better than Donald.
I think it’s very important that we gain trust again, both through our political systems and diplomatic systems, but also between the American people and the Greenlanders and Danes, because right now this attack on Greenland is not just about a territory. It’s about sovereignty, the right for sovereignty, and it’s really damaging the great, great cooperation we have had for so many years between the U.S., Greenland and also Denmark and Europe.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And could you talk about your assessment of how the European Union and the other countries of Europe are responding to the threats of Donald Trump?
JULIE RADEMACHER: I can say that as a Greenlander, for the last week, it’s been terrorizing to hear your American president again and again threatening our countrymen, our fellow citizens in Greenland. They have anxiety attacks. They can’t sleep. They have nightmares. And people, they consider whether or not they should flee from Greenland. It’s a very, very serious situation, not only on a political level or military level, but on a civil level. This is human beings being hurt. They have never done anything wrong.
And right now it’s very important for us to get support from the rest of the world. So, we get support from Europe, and it means a lot that 56,000 people in Greenland and 17,000 Greenlanders in Denmark, we don’t stand alone. We stand together with Europe in our back. It means so much for us with this support, because it feels like a betrayal from the American president. We have fought shoulder to shoulder with your soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, where we have had Greenlandic soldiers and Danish soldiers fighting these wars, too, for freedom and for democracy. And right now we have unwillingly become the front for the same fight, for democracy, for freedom and for human rights. We want democracy, but we are not respected.
So, please, Mr. President, and please, all Americans, we would love you to act. We need you to act. We need you to call all your senators, all your politicians, and tell them they need to act. They need to stop your president in annexing Greenland, because this is not only a matter of Greenland. This is the matter of the world order as we know it, it’s a matter of sovereignty, and it’s a matter of the borders. So, please, act. And please, speak to all you know about this.
And just to make sure that you know, Greenland is protected by all European countries now, almost, and also Denmark has troops up there. So, this wouldn’t be just an attack on Greenland. This would also be an attack on the NATO alliance. So, wake up, America. I know it’s early your time, so, please, wake up. You need to act. And we can fight this fight together, within the U.S., the Europe and also for Greenland. So, please, support Greenland and follow our demonstration campaign on SupportGreenland.org.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And could you talk also about this claim of President Trump that if he doesn’t act, if the United States doesn’t acquire Greenland or buy Greenland, that there are threats from China and Russia to move in?
JULIE RADEMACHER: Well, this situation is very bad. We can’t go back in time, but we can wake up now. It’s very important that the American people all over the U.S., they act now. Contact your politicians. Contact your press. Make sure and that — to tell them you support Greenland, not only because of Greenland, but because Greenland is now the front for the fight for democracy. It’s very important also to understand this is not just a political or geopolitical fight. This is a matter of trust between the people. We can trust our democracies. We had an election in Greenland last year, and we hadn’t had an election in Denmark this year.
It’s very important to understand there’s a close cooperation between the Greenlandic and Danish leader. The American president has tried to split our two countries, but it only made us stand even closer together. So, the leader of Greenland’s message is very clear, that if we had to choose, if Greenland had to choose between United States or Denmark, Greenland will choose Denmark and Europe.
So, it’s very important that you wake up and you see that this not only is a fight for Greenland, but also for the trust we as Greenlanders can have for the Americans and the NATO alliance. So, this is not only Greenland being attacked. This is democracy, freedom and the world order as we know it that’s being attacked at the moment.
AMY GOODMAN: Julie Rademacher, I want to thank you so much for being with us, chair of Uagut, an organization, national organization, for Greenlanders in Denmark, which helped organize the protests for unity and support for Greenland of thousands this weekend, both in Greenland and Denmark. And we’ll cover the Davos summit, as well, where President Trump and other world leaders are.
Democracy Now! is accepting applications for video news production and digital fellowship. Check our website at democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
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