In an effort to improve ties with US President Donald Trump, Denmark has enlisted powerful K-Street lobbyists with ties to the Republican Party. According to documents filed under the US State Department’s Foreign Agents Registration Act, Mercury Public Affairs and Denmark’s ambassador to Washington, Jesper Møller Sørensen, have reached an agreement on a $263,000 contract.
The contract for Mercury will be handled by David Vitter, a former Republican congressman and senator from Louisiana who resigned in 2017 after losing a Louisiana gubernatorial race.
According to the document, the deal included “providing strategic consulting, public affairs, marketing and communications” and went into effect on April 25.
The position of Greenland, an autonomous Danish province rich in natural riches that Trump wants to buy, has put Denmark in the sights of the Trump administration.
Trump has refused to rule out military involvement and threatens to impose trade sanctions on Denmark if they refuse to sell, even though Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen has stated that Greenland is not for sale.
But it hasn’t been easy to find lobbyists with ties to Republicans to support its cause.
Ballard Partners, a significant Trump fundraiser in Florida run by Brian Ballard, rejected Denmark in March.
In an effort to get more access to Trump’s inner circle, the European Commission and a few other EU members have also been in discussions with lobby shops in Washington. While appearing to soften US language on Greenland’s future in late March, Trump’s vice president JD Vance, cautioned that Denmark had “not done a good job for the people of Greenland.”
“This is why Trump’s policy is what it is [that Greenland should become part of the US],” Vance stated while addressing American soldiers at the Pituffik Space Base. The statement “We respect the self-determination of the people of Greenland” was also included by him. Anti-US sentiment on the Arctic island seems to have increased as a result of Trump’s quest for Greenland.
Fears of losing autonomy to the United States dominated Greenland’s general elections in March. The center-right Democrats won the March 11 elections, and its chairman, Jens Frederik Nielsen, stated that the outcome should send a strong message to Trump and the United States: “We don’t want to be Americans.” No, becoming Danes is not what we desire. Our goal is to become Greenlanders. Additionally, we hope to become independent in the future.
