Danish royal family 'surprised,' lawmakers fume as Trump cancels Denmark visit over Greenland
Fox News ^ | 08/21/2019 | By Lukas Mikelionis
Posted on 8/21/2019, 9:11:20 AM by SeekAndFind
The Danish royal family was “surprised” after President Trump scrapped a planned visit to Denmark following comments by the country's prime minister that the idea the U.S. might buy Greenland from them was “absurd.”
Trump had been expected to visit Denmark on Sept. 2-3 as part of his trip to Europe, but until his tweets Tuesday, there were no solid indications the visit was centered on buying Greenland.
"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time," Trump wrote.
The White House later clarified that the entire trip to Denmark had been scrapped, including a planned meeting with Denmark's Queen Margrethe II.
The cancellation of the visit left the Danish royal family flabbergasted, while other politicians said the snub was “deeply insulting.”
“It [the cancellation] was a surprise -- we have nothing more to say about this case,” said Lene Balleby, head of communications for the Danish royal family.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a former prime minister, tweeted that Trump's cancellation was “deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark,” while ex-foreign minister Martin Lidegaard told Danish broadcaster TV2 that the situation was “a diplomatic farce” and slammed Trump for “grotesque” behavior.
“Total chaos,” the former finance minister Kristian Jensen wrote. “This has gone from a great opportunity for a strengthened dialogue between allies to a diplomatic crisis.”
Pernille Skipper, the speaker of Parliament’s leftist red-green alliance, tweeted that Trump “lives on another planet,” adding that he’s “smug and disrespectful.”
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