Jens-Frederik Nielsen

Main article: Greenland crisis

On 20 January 2025, Donald Trump began his second term as U.S. president. In March 2025, Nielsen condemned Trump's threats to invade Greenland, stating that "We don't want to be Americans. No, we don't want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future..." ^[10] Nielsen said Trump will not "get" Greenland. ^[11] In April 2025, a plan by the US for undermining the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark through a campaign of foreign interference and disinformation on social media became known. ^[12] The official Danish threat assessment published by the Danish Defence Intelligence Service in 2025 for the first time mentioned the US as a threat to national security, alongside Russia and China. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reminded Trump that an attack on the Kingdom of Denmark is an attack on NATO, and that all NATO members are obligated to come to Denmark's defence. Greenland, as part of Denmark, is a member of NATO and therefore covered by the collective security guarantee. ^[16]

Nielsen with Mette Frederiksen at a press conference in the Ministry of State, 13 January 2026

On 13 January 2026, ten days after US troops had attacked Venezuela and captured Maduro and his wife, Nielsen and Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said in a joint press conference that the US pressure campaign against Greenland was unacceptable, and that Greenland is not for sale. Nielsen emphasised that talk about buying another people shows a lack of respect. ^[17] Nielsen said:

One thing must be clear to everyone: Greenland does not want to be owned by the US, Greenland does not want to be governed by the US, Greenland does not want to be part of the US. We choose the Greenland we know today, which is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

— Jens-Frederik Nielsen, prime minister of Greenland ^[18]

In response to Nielsen stating that Greenland had no wish to become part of the US, claimed that he did not know who the Greenlandic prime minister was, stating: "I disagree with them. I don't know who he is, don't know anything about him, but that's going to be a big problem." ^[19]

Personal life

Nielsen became a member of the Greenland national badminton team in 2009. ^[20] At the 2023 Island Games, he won gold in men's singles badminton. ^[20]

References

1. Gronholt-Pedersen, Jacob (28 March 2025). "Who is Greenland's new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen?". Reuters. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
2. Petersen, Jacob Qvirin (22 May 2019). "Så render en lille grønlænder som mig rundt derinde". sport.tv2.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 31 January 2026.
3. "Hvem er grønlenderen som taler Trump midt imot? Dette er Jens-Frederik Nielsen". Aftenposten. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
4. Veirum, Thomas Munk (16 March 2024). "Demokraatit-formand fortsætter på posten". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). Archived from the original on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
5. "Jens Frederik Nielsen". Nordic Co-operation. The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Archived from the original on 12 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
6. "New minister for the mineral resources area". Mineral Resources Authority. 3 June 2020. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
7. "Polar Seafood under politisk pres: - Stop al produktion i Rusland og forlad landet". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
8. "Demokraatit-formand overgår regeringschef - TV 2". nyheder.tv2.dk (in Danish). 12 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
9. "Denmark and Greenland apologize for painful legacy of forced Inuit contraception". AP News . 27 August 2025. Archived from the original on 27 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
10. Lauritzen, Pia (11 March 2025). "Greenland Has Spoken: What Trump Doesn't Get About Us". Forbes. Archived from the original on 13 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
11. "Greenland's Prime Minister Says the U.S. Will Not 'Get' the Island". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
12. "USA har planen klar for å overta Grønland". Aftenposten . Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
13. "Danish intelligence classifies Trump's America as a security risk". Politico . Retrieved 11 December 2025.
14. "A sentence about the USA in a new threat assessment". Politiken. Archived from the original on 23 December 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
15. "Danish Intelligence Warns U.S. "Hemispheric Approach" Raises Arctic Security Uncertainty". High North News. Archived from the original on 23 December 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
16. "Denmark's prime minister says Trump is serious about Greenland's annexation". European Interest. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
17. "Danmark og Grønland i strupen på Donald Trump og USA: – Respektløst" [Denmark and Greenland Lash Out at Donald Trump and the U.S.: 'Disrespectful']. Aftenposten . Archived from the original on 16 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
18. "'We choose Denmark' over the US, Greenland's PM says". DW. Archived from the original on 13 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
19. "'It's A Big Problem': Trump's Warning After Greenland "Chooses" Denmark". NDTV. Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
20. Tobiassen, Nukaaka (18 July 2023). "Island Games: Overrasket Jens-Frederik Nielsen vandt guld". KNR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen
Nielsen in 2026
Prime Minister of Greenland
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 April 2025

v t e Prime ministers of Greenland
	Jonathan Motzfeldt (1979–1991) Lars Emil Johansen (1991–1997) Jonathan Motzfeldt (1997–2002) Hans Enoksen (2002–2009) Kuupik Kleist (2009–2013) Aleqa Hammond (2013–2014) Kim Kielsen (2014–2021) Múte Bourup Egede (2021–2025) Jens-Frederik Nielsen (2025–)