Donald Trump said that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments about his proposal to buy Greenland were “nasty and inappropriate.”
According to the BBC , while speaking with reporters on the White House lawn on Wednesday before heading to Kentucky, he attacked Denmark’s prime minister after canceling his scheduled trip to the country.
“I thought that the prime’s statement that it was absurd, that it was an absurd idea was nasty,” he said. “I thought it was an inappropriate statement. All she had to do is say no, we wouldn’t be interested.”
He then went on to say that Fredericksen’s comments were insulting to not only him, but the country.
“She’s not talking to me. She’s talking to the United States of America. You don’t talk to the United States that way, at least under me.”
Trump then went on to say that the idea of purchasing Greenland wasn’t as ridiculous as some have made it out to be, pointing out that former President Harry Truman had mulled the idea of making an offer for the massive island.
Later, he continued his defensive posturing on Twitter.
For the record, Denmark is only at 1.35% of GDP for NATO spending. They are a wealthy country and should be at 2%. We protect Europe and yet, only 8 of the 28 NATO countries are at the 2% mark. The United States is at a much, much higher level than that….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2019
Frederiksen responded to Trump’s decision to cancel his upcoming trip to the Nordic country, saying that she regretted his decision not to come to Denmark because “our preparations were well under way.”
Still, the president’s canceled plans haven’t harmed Frederiksen’s opinion of their relationship with the U.S.
“This does not change the character of our good relations and we will continue our dialogue on how we can deal with challenges we are facing,” she said.
Not everyone was so diplomatic, however. The leader of the populist Danish People’s Party, Kristian Thulesen Dahl, called Trump’s deciscion to cancel the trip last minute was a “farce.”
The Danish Conservative MP, Rasmus Jarlov, said that the cancellation was an insult to the country and called for the president to show more respect. Kristian Jensen, a former foreign minister, said that the change in plans was causing “total chaos.”
Trump set off a firestorm when news leaked last week that he was hoping to purchase the Danish territory. Both Frederiksen and Greenland’s leader Kim Kielsen rejected the idea outright. Trump confirmed the idea, saying that the idea was essentially a “large real estate deal.”
As The Inquisitr reported, the president later posted an image meant to be a humorous take on the idea.
I promise not to do this to Greenland! pic.twitter.com/03DdyVU6HA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2019
Shortly after, he announced that he was postponing his trip to the country because of her rejection of his idea.
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….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2019