Jeffrey Gettleman

She thinks that with independence, there will be more opportunities for locals like her.

She thinks that with independence, there will be more opportunities for locals like her.

So Leila sees herself as a Greenlander. She said that she's not European. She doesn't want to be American. She feels very strongly about her Greenlandic identity. But she did say that she wanted closer relations with the U.S. And she felt very confident that if that happened, it would improve the lives of Greenlanders.

So Leila sees herself as a Greenlander. She said that she's not European. She doesn't want to be American. She feels very strongly about her Greenlandic identity. But she did say that she wanted closer relations with the U.S. And she felt very confident that if that happened, it would improve the lives of Greenlanders.

But not everybody I talked to was so excited about all this attention that Trump is putting on Greenland. I met the mayor of Ilulissat. His name is Pele Jeremiason. And he's pro-independence just like everybody we met there. But he's also worried. Do you see all this attention with Trump in the U.S.

But not everybody I talked to was so excited about all this attention that Trump is putting on Greenland. I met the mayor of Ilulissat. His name is Pele Jeremiason. And he's pro-independence just like everybody we met there. But he's also worried. Do you see all this attention with Trump in the U.S.

And he's been paying close attention to everything that Trump is doing. And he brought up the Panama Canal, troops being sent to the U.S.-Mexico border. And his point to me was, Trump says one thing, it seems really outlandish. And then he does it. Or maybe he doesn't do it. And his capriciousness and unpredictability is what makes the mayor nervous.

And he's been paying close attention to everything that Trump is doing. And he brought up the Panama Canal, troops being sent to the U.S.-Mexico border. And his point to me was, Trump says one thing, it seems really outlandish. And then he does it. Or maybe he doesn't do it. And his capriciousness and unpredictability is what makes the mayor nervous.

But he does. And he was asking me, so what do you think Trump is going to do about Greenland? He was pointing right at me. What do you predict?

But he does. And he was asking me, so what do you think Trump is going to do about Greenland? He was pointing right at me. What do you predict?

And I just kind of shrugged and said, I really don't know. And the mayor shook his head and he seemed genuinely upset and said, we're a tiny country. He's a superpower country. So what can we do when he comes? What can we do if Trump comes? What can we really do?

And I just kind of shrugged and said, I really don't know. And the mayor shook his head and he seemed genuinely upset and said, we're a tiny country. He's a superpower country. So what can we do when he comes? What can we do if Trump comes? What can we really do?

There's a sense that Denmark doesn't respect Greenland and that there's this long legacy of racism, exploitation, treating Greenlanders as second-class citizens. And Greenlanders come from a different culture. They're part of this wider Inuit community that lives in the Arctic Circle, in Alaska, in Canada, in parts of Russia.

There's a sense that Denmark doesn't respect Greenland and that there's this long legacy of racism, exploitation, treating Greenlanders as second-class citizens. And Greenlanders come from a different culture. They're part of this wider Inuit community that lives in the Arctic Circle, in Alaska, in Canada, in parts of Russia.

They have their own language, their own traditions, their own history of how they survive in this very hostile environment. And I met a number of people who said that they were mistreated, they were made fun of, that they were called racial slurs. I also heard a lot about the colonial legacy and things that Denmark had done when Greenland was a colony. They destroyed local traditions.

They have their own language, their own traditions, their own history of how they survive in this very hostile environment. And I met a number of people who said that they were mistreated, they were made fun of, that they were called racial slurs. I also heard a lot about the colonial legacy and things that Denmark had done when Greenland was a colony. They destroyed local traditions.

They outlawed some of the religious practices that Greenlanders had been doing for centuries. And there was this scandal in the 1960s and 70s where Danish doctors were inserting IUD birth control devices into Greenlandic girls as young as like 12 in an attempt to keep the population down. And they did this to thousands of girls without them really understanding what was being done to them.

They outlawed some of the religious practices that Greenlanders had been doing for centuries. And there was this scandal in the 1960s and 70s where Danish doctors were inserting IUD birth control devices into Greenlandic girls as young as like 12 in an attempt to keep the population down. And they did this to thousands of girls without them really understanding what was being done to them.

And this was kept secret forever. until just a few years ago. And when this scandal broke and the news spread that all these women in Greenland had been subject to this, it caused a lot of anger towards Denmark. All these things together, that's what brings us to this moment where just about everybody now wants independence.

And this was kept secret forever. until just a few years ago. And when this scandal broke and the news spread that all these women in Greenland had been subject to this, it caused a lot of anger towards Denmark. All these things together, that's what brings us to this moment where just about everybody now wants independence.