WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he will name Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as the U.S. special envoy to Greenland, the vast semiautonomous territory of Denmark that Trump says the U.S. needs to take.

“Jeff understands how essential Greenland is to our national security and will strongly advance our country’s interests for the security and survival of our allies and, indeed, the world,” Trump said in announcing the appointment.

Trump, during his presidential transition and in the first months of his return to the White House, repeatedly called for US jurisdiction over Greenland, and has not ruled out military force to take control of the mineral-rich and strategically located Arctic island.

The issue had faded from the headlines in recent months, but in August, Danish officials summoned the U.S. ambassador following a report that at least three people with connections to Trump had carried out covert influence operations in Greenland.

President Donald Trump (R) announced Sunday that he will name Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (L) as the US special envoy to Greenland.
President Donald Trump (R) announced Sunday that he will name Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (L) as the US special envoy to Greenland.

Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Earlier this year, Vice President JD Vance visited a remote US military base on the island and accused Denmark of underinvesting there.

Trump has said Greenland is crucial to U.S. security and has not ruled out taking the island by military force, even though Denmark is a U.S. ally in NATO.

Landry took office as governor in January 2024. His term ends in January 2028.

“It is an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland part of the United States,” Landry wrote in a post on X in which he thanked Trump for the appointment. He added: “This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!”

Denmark, a U.S. NATO ally, and Greenland have said the island is not for sale and condemned reports that the U.S. is collecting intelligence there. Russia and much of Europe also oppose the American push for Greenland.

The Danish Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Landry’s appointment.

Denmark’s Defense Intelligence Service said in a report earlier this month that the United States is using its economic power to “assert its will” and threaten the use of military force against friends and enemies alike.

The service, in its annual assessment, said Washington’s increased assertiveness under the Trump administration also comes as China and Russia seek to diminish Western, especially American, influence.

“The strategic importance of the Arctic is increasing as the conflict between Russia and the West intensifies, and the increasing strategic and security focus on the Arctic by the United States will further accelerate these developments,” the report says.