JD Vance’s seven-word sentence about taking over Greenland which has people comparing US to North Korea
Vice President JD Vance’s uninvited diplomatic mission to Greenland has sparked international ridicule and disturbing comparisons to authoritarian regimes after he declared “we can’t just ignore the president’s desires” regarding Donald Trump’s obsession with acquiring the Arctic territory. The seven-word phrase, delivered during an awkward press conference at a Greenlandic military base, has drawn widespread condemnation for its nakedly imperialistic overtones and subservient framing of executive authority.
The Trump administration’s persistent Greenland fixation – first manifested in Trump’s 2019 offer to buy the autonomous Danish territory – has now escalated into full-blown geopolitical strong-arming under Vance’s stewardship. Despite repeated rejections from Greenland’s government and people, Vance doubled down on colonial-era rhetoric, claiming the territory would be “better off” under American control while bizarrely asserting the U.S. would “respect their sovereignty” even as he pressured them to relinquish it. The cognitive dissonance reached peak absurdity when Vance, whose unannounced visit itself violated diplomatic norms, accused Denmark of failing to protect Greenland’s security.
Social media users were quick to note the chilling parallels between Vance’s phrasing and the cultish obedience demanded by North Korea’s regime. The vice president’s apparent belief that presidential whims should dictate foreign policy – regardless of a population’s right to self-determination – lays bare the administration’s authoritarian tendencies. This incident compounds growing concerns about the Trump-Vance administration’s disregard for international norms, following recent controversies including Trump’s threats to abandon NATO allies and his admiration for strongmen like Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orbán.
The Greenland debacle also reveals the administration’s strategic incoherence. While Vance invoked fears of Russian and Chinese “encroachment” to justify American claims, his heavy-handed approach risks driving Greenland closer to those very powers. The territory’s vast rare earth mineral deposits and strategic position have made it increasingly important in great power competition, but Vance’s tone-deaf performance suggests the administration values performative nationalism over actual statecraft.
As the vice president returns empty-handed from his colonial fantasy, the episode serves as both a diplomatic embarrassment and a warning about this administration’s worldview – one where might makes right, allies are treated as subjects, and the president’s “desires” supersede international law or basic democratic principles.
