SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
President Trump wants Greenland. He says the U.S. should control what is now an autonomous territory of Denmark for, quote, "national security purposes." The leaders of Denmark and Greenland, though, say the island is not for sale. But what do people on the island make of this? ALL THINGS CONSIDERED cohost Juana Summers traveled to Greenland to find out.
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Lila Sandgreen is a masterful multitasker. When we meet her, she's typing away, as we talk inside the tourism company she owns with her husband.
You are busy. He said you wear a lot of hats. He's not kidding.
LILA SANDGREEN: Not kidding.
SUMMERS: There are earrings and carvings spread out on the desk in front of her. She wants to sell them to future tourists, and right now, there is a lot of international attention on Greenland.
SANDGREEN: This is not the first time we have heard about the president, Donald Trump. He always want to buy Greenland.
SUMMERS: Sandgreen was born and raised in Ilulissat, the small town that is one of Greenland's most popular tourist destinations. Even though she wants more people to come here, including Americans, she doesn't want the island to be part of America.
SANDGREEN: We want to be Greenlanders. We don't want to be Americans. We don't want to be Danish. We only want to be Greenlandic people. We want to be Inuit.
SUMMERS: That notion was repeated over and over again in our conversations with local residents. A recent poll from Danish and Greenlandic news outlets found that 85% of Greenlanders don't want to be a part of the United States.
KAREN CORTSEN: We want to be independent. So we are not for sale.
(SOUNDBITE OF HAIR TRIMMER BUZZING)
SUMMERS: This is Karen Cortsen. She owns a hair salon just down the road.
CORTSEN: Something like European or American, we're not used to it because we are very calm, so we are not so interested.
SUMMERS: Trump has been making the case for the U.S. to acquire Greenland since his first term. He and his allies point to Greenland's strategic location, as well as its reserves of rare earth minerals. In Nuuk, we sat down with Jorgen Boassen, who is a Greenlandic fan of President Trump.
JORGEN BOASSEN: I think U.S. is more welcome then to have a base - more bases here and have a military to protect U.S. and Greenland to Russia and China. So I have no trouble with that.
SUMMERS: The U.S. already has a military base specializing in missile defense at the remote northern end of the island. Boassen says he hopes for a free association agreement, where the U.S. gives Greenland economic assistance and provides for defense. It's not yet clear what shape, if any, Trump's ambitions will take.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing in non-English language).
SUMMERS: We meet Mala Johnsen at the streetwear company he owns in Nuuk. And here, the welcoming of international influences is again clear. His company is called Bolt Lamar, named for the famed Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt and the American musician Kendrick Lamar.
What do you hope for the future of your country?
MALA JOHNSEN: To me, the optimal solution would be if we became an independent country, but with partnerships. If we should do this the right way, we should always have a relationship with Denmark, as we share histories like - almost like family.
SUMMERS: And of a future relationship with the U.S.?
JOHNSEN: I think the most important thing here is to respect every different culture and the people in that culture and not to colonize the place all over again (laughter).
SUMMERS: Juana Summers, NPR News, Greenland.
DETROW: And for more of Juana's in-depth reporting from Greenland, you can head over to npr.org.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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