Congressional delegation to Denmark contradicts Trump on Greenland

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) led an eight-member bipartisan congressional delegation to Copenhagen on Jan. 16-17, 2026, to meet with Danish and Greenlandic government leaders. The delegation aimed to demonstrate congressional opposition to President Trump's threats to acquire Greenland and reassure allies of continued U.S. support for Danish sovereignty.

The delegation included four senators and four House members from both parties: Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), and Sarah McBride (D-Del.). This bipartisan composition signaled that opposition to Trump's Greenland threats crosses party lines in Congress.

At a Jan. 17 news conference in Copenhagen, Coons stated that the Trump administration's tempo of statements on Greenland wasn't constructive. He specifically emphasized the delegation's respect for Greenland's Indigenous population and their right to self-determination.

Greenland's Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen had explicitly stated that Greenland doesn't want to be owned or governed by the United States and wishes to remain part of the Kingdom of Denmark. This direct rejection from Greenland's elected leader contradicted Trump's claims that acquisition negotiations were possible.