America First is the agenda. And the Trump-Vance team are taking it seriously.
Now J.D. Vance ignited a media firestorm after making a bold statement abroad.
Vice President J.D. Vance landed at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on Friday, joined by a crew of top U.S. officials, to spotlight the growing push for “Arctic security” under American leadership.
The trip, clocking in at just under six hours, brought him face-to-face with U.S. Space Force Guardians over lunch.
“It’s cold as [expletive] here. Nobody told me,” Vance quipped, sparking chuckles from the room.
But the laughs quickly gave way to a sharper tone as he took aim at Denmark, calling it a lackluster caretaker of Greenland—an island of 50,000 people, vast glaciers, and valuable rare earth minerals.
Its spot in the Arctic also makes it a hot ticket as China and Russia flex their muscles in the region.
“The president is really interested in Arctic security, as you all know, and it’s only going to get bigger over the coming decades,” Vance told the Guardians, echoing a key White House priority.
Traveling with him were his wife, Usha Vance, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, and Julia Nesheiwat, Waltz’s wife and a former Homeland Security Advisor.
The group kept things low-key after Greenland and Danish officials balked at Usha’s original plan to check out a local dog sled race.
Instead, they hunkered down at the U.S.-run base for troop meet-and-greets and an Arctic security briefing.
“I didn’t want her to have all that fun by herself,” Vance said in a lighthearted video about the visit.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute B. Egede has been vocal, urging allies to counter Trump’s bold talk of taking over the island.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Vladimir Putin weighed in Thursday from above the Arctic Circle, warning against brushing off Trump’s Greenland ambitions as hot air.
“It is a profound mistake to treat it as some preposterous talk by the new U.S. administration. Nothing of the sort,” Putin said.
He pointed out that America’s interest in Greenland stretches back to the 1860s. “The United States has serious plans regarding Greenland,” Putin added.
“These plans have long historical roots, as I have just mentioned, and it is obvious that the United States will continue to consistently advance its geo-strategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic.”
For Vance and his team, the Greenland stop was all about doubling down on that U.S. presence—keeping the Arctic in America’s orbit amid rising stakes and a chilly global chess game.
