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US President Donald Trump and his descendants have just been banned from setting foot in Greenland for 100 generations, according to a viral social media post.
It says that the parliament in Nuuk has just introduced legislation to that effect, and it’s been seen almost two million times as of the time of writing.
It was posted against the backdrop of Trump’s rhetoric to acquire the semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, which has ramped up significantly in recent weeks.
Greenland, Denmark and the rest of Europe have been steadfast in their resolve to protect Greenland’s independence.
Recently, a group of European countries sent a small contingent of troops to Greenland in a so-called reconnaissance mission. It is unclear how long the troops will stay.
The group was made up of troops and vessels from France, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Germany’s military personnel withdrew on Saturday.
Trump has since threatened a wave of fresh tariffs on those seven countries, plus Denmark — all of whom are the US’s NATO allies — to come into force in February if they continue to refuse to go along with his plan.
“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland,” the leaders of the eight European countries said in a joint statement on 18 January.
“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”
Satire born of tension
Despite the significant diplomatic tension, a law to ban Donald Trump and his lineage for the next 100 generations is not one of the measures Greenland and Denmark are using to keep the territory out of the president’s grasp.
The Halfway Post, the account that shared the post on X, labels itself as a comedy and satire account.
It also describes itself as dadaist, an art movement that goes against traditional ideas of beauty and uses humour and the absurd instead.
There haven’t been any reputable reports or announcements by the Greenlandic or Danish governments that any such ban against Trump and his relatives is on the cards.
Nevertheless, the president’s ambitions to take control of Greenland have sent shudders through Europe and wider NATO, with some fearing a crumbling of the alliance from within if the US enters into conflict with fellow member Denmark.
Trump argues that US control of Greenland is necessary for national and global security in the Arctic area, suggesting at times that the territory can be purchased, and at others that it can be taken militarily. “We have to have it,” Trump told reporters overnight between Monday and Tuesday.
Still, its prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, assures that it wants to remain part of Denmark, amid protests against a US takeover by Greenlanders in front of the US consulate in Nuuk.
Following Trump’s threats of tariffs, Nielsen said that Greenland will not be pressured to give in.
“We stand firm on dialogue, on respect and on international law,” he said in a Facebook post on Monday, in which he also thanked other countries for their support.
