LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Since he took office, President Trump has repeatedly suggested that the U.S. should take over Greenland, a territory controlled by Denmark.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
It's in a strategic location, and it is rich in critical minerals used in technology. Here's Trump speaking at a cabinet meeting yesterday.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I think Greenland's going to be something that maybe is in our future. I think it's important. It's important from the standpoint of international security.
MARTIN: But leaders in Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly rejected these advances, saying Greenland is not for sale. So an announcement this week that second lady Usha Vance is traveling there raised some eyebrows.
FADEL: NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram joins us now to talk it through. Hey, Deepa.
DEEPA SHIVARAM, BYLINE: Hey. Good morning.
FADEL: OK, so why is Usha Vance going to Greenland? What is she doing?
SHIVARAM: Right, so spouses of presidents and vice presidents have typically played a role in facilitating some kind of, you know, soft diplomacy. According to the White House, this is a cultural excursion. Vance will visit historical sites, learn about Greenland's heritage and attend Greenland's national dogsled race, which involves more than 400 dogs, I learned. But given how fraught things are between the U.S. and Greenland, it's an unusual visit for Vance to make. This early in the administration, it's not clear what Vance's portfolio of issues is and what, you know, she'll focus on. But I did talk to a couple of people who have studied first and second ladies, and they were surprised at the announcement of this trip because of how contentious the politics are. Here's Elizabeth Natalle. She's a professor at UNC Greensboro and helped found the First Ladies Association of Research and Education.
ELIZABETH NATALLE: International travel is often set up as a way for first and second ladies to connect with the voting public or the people of the ally often involved in this travel. When you're promoting friendship, you're promoting equality and humanity and democracy. That is not the context at all as she embarks on this trip later this week.
SHIVARAM: Now, Natalle says it's possible that Vance can carve out a space on this trip to convey a positive image of herself and the U.S. She is bringing one of her young sons with her. But combined with the rhetoric from the White House, it might be a steeper climb for the second lady.
FADEL: Now, is she going on her own, or is there more White House involvement here?
SHIVARAM: So at this point, there's two parts of this. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz is also making a trip to a U.S. military base in Greenland this week. That's separate. And so Vance is traveling with her son and a U.S. delegation, and they'll be there for about three days.
FADEL: And what's the reaction been in Greenland?
SHIVARAM: It's been negative. In an interview with a Greenlandic newspaper over the weekend, the prime minister of Greenland said that the visit from members of the Trump administration was very aggressive, Leila. He said that Greenland has to face the seriousness of the situation of the U.S. wanting to annex them. Now, Trump, for his part, says this isn't a provocation. He says it's a purely friendly visit and claimed that the U.S. was invited to visit Greenland, though NPR is not able to confirm if there was an invite. He also mentioned that countries like Russia and China are trying to assert more control in the Arctic region, and he teased that Secretary of State Marco Rubio may also visit the territory. And I will just point out that in January, before inauguration, Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., made a trip to Greenland as well.
FADEL: That's NPR's Deepa Shivaram. Thank you, Deepa.
SHIVARAM: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF WILLIAM RYAN FRITCH'S "SCATTERED FLOCKS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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