/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/54/66/546650fa-26a4-40fd-8d6d-5a7a04540f81/rosetta2.png)
.jpg)
format(webp))
format(webp))
Greenland Shuts Door on Foreign Political Donations Amid Trump’s Interest
Greenland's parliament passed a bill on Tuesday banning political parties from accepting foreign or anonymous contributions, following President Trump's expressed interest in the U.S. taking control of the island. The bill aims to protect Greenland's political integrity and takes immediate effect. It was introduced due to geopolitical concerns, including Trump’s remarks about Greenland's importance to U.S. national security. Senior legal officer Kent Fridberg noted that the bill was a preventive measure and pointed out that Greenland's political parties are mainly funded publicly. The law also limits domestic contributions to political parties, capping them at 200,000 Danish kroner or 20,000 kroner from a single donor
Greenland's parliament passed a bill on Tuesday banning political parties from accepting contributions "from foreign or anonymous contributors" following President Donald Trump's expressed interest in the U.S. taking control of the mineral-rich island, which belongs to Denmark.
The bill aims to protect "Greenland's political integrity" and will take effect immediately, according to a translation of a parliamentary document in Danish.
The document noted that the bill "must be seen in light of the geopolitical interests in Greenland and the current situation where representatives of an allied great power have expressed interest in taking over and controlling Greenland."
Before his second term began on January 20, Trump suggested that military force might be used to take control of Greenland, calling it crucial for U.S. national security. His son, Donald Trump Jr., visited Greenland recently and told the locals: "We're going to treat you well." Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, is home to a large U.S. military base, and Denmark is a long-time U.S. ally and a founding member of NATO.
Greenland covers 2.17 million square kilometers (836,000 square miles) and has a population of around 57,000, making it over one-fifth the size of the United States, according to the CIA World Factbook.
Kent Fridberg, a senior legal officer at Greenland's parliament, told The Associated Press that he was unsure whether foreign donations had previously gone to political parties, explaining that the bill was simply a "preventative measure."
Fridberg also pointed out that some Russian politicians had expressed similar interests and that Greenland's political parties are mainly funded by public means.
The new law also limits the amount of domestic private contributions, prohibiting any party from receiving more than 200,000 Danish kroner (about $27,700) in total or more than 20,000 kroner (around $2,770) from a single donor.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/02/05/g-s1-46534/greenland-foreign-political-donations-trump
What's Your Reaction?
