1 A mysterious American’s petition
The Prime Minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, criticized on Thursday the actions of an unidentified American who reportedly offered $200,000 to Greenlanders to sign a petition in favor of the annexation of this autonomous Danish territory to the United States. “A stranger is offering money for a signature aiming to annex Greenland to another country. This is not only deeply worrying. It’s indecent,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen expressed his outrage on Facebook.
2 “Our future is not negotiated in a taxi”
The Greenlandic television channel KNR reported on Thursday that this “mysterious American” presented himself under the name “Cliff” and offered a taxi driver in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, $200,000 to sign the petition. The driver, Danny Brandt, stated to the channel that he had declined this offer. He also shared this episode on social media, where a user commented that they had also been offered money to sign the petition.
The Greenlandic police told AFP that they had “received reports that may be related to the current political situation.” They did not specify the number of reports received or their content. “We are a democratic society. Our future is not negotiated in a taxi. And it is not bought with money,” emphasized the Prime Minister.
3 A tense geopolitical context
The American president, Donald Trump, has repeatedly stated that the United States should annex the Danish autonomous territory to ensure their national security. These remarks have led to strong reactions from European leaders and Greenlanders. In fact, on January 17, 2026, the Greenlanders demonstrated in the streets of Nuuk.
