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Fuming Danish politicians say US President Donald Trump offended the Danish queen by abruptly canceling his trip to the country. Trump called off the visit after Denmark refused to discuss selling Greenland to the US.
On Wednesday, Trump announced he will be “postponing” his visit to Denmark, originally planned for early September after Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen refused to entertain his idea of the US buying Greenland, which is a Danish dependency.
Danish politicians were baffled by Trump’s decision. Some even said his sudden move offends the nation’s ruling monarch, Queen Margrethe II, who formally invited Trump.
“This goes against everything, and it’s a big insult to the Queen as the host,” Soren Espersen, an MP from the Danish People’s Party, told news agency Ritzau.
A fellow lawmaker and former speaker of parliament, Pia Kjaersgaard, blasted the US leader for showing a “complete lack of respect” and for being “rude to the Danish people and the Queen who had invited him.”
The same sentiment was voiced by former foreign minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, who told Jyllands-Posten that by abruptly canceling his visit Trump has insulted the monarchy.
“Trump lives on another planet. Self-centered and disrespectful,” Pernille Skipper, a lawmaker from the Red-Green Alliance, tweeted.
As for Queen Margrethe herself, she did not publicly speak on the matter. The spokesperson for the royal family, Lene Balleby, however, told AP that the news of Trump canceling his trip came as “a surprise.”
Trump argued that buying Greenland would be “strategically” beneficial for the US. He claimed that the island is a large financial burden for Copenhagen and keeping it hurts Denmark “very badly.”
