The increasingly belligerent statements of the American president on Danish territory have aroused apprehension, indignation and now humor.
A Danish petition was launched to buy the state of California and “bring the hygge to Hollywood”, in response to President Donald Trump’s words on the takeover of Greenland by Denmark.
“Have you ever looked at a card and say: you know what Denmark needs? No more sun, palm and roller skates,” asks the petition. “Well, we have a unique opportunity to make this dream a reality”.
Wednesday in the middle of the morning, the petition website had collected more than 200,000 signatures, the objective being to reach 500,000. The objective is to collect “$ 1,000 billion (to the nearest a few billion). represents only 200,000 crowns for each Danes “.
“It is in the national interest in promoting the extraordinary heritage of our nation, so that California will become the new Denmark. Los Angeles? Rather Løs Ångeles,” said the petition.
Løs Ångeles is perhaps a joke, but another very Danish city in southern California does exist. Solvang, nicknamed “the Danish capital of America”, was founded by three Danish immigrants in 1911.
The city is very popular with tourists, who come en masse to taste its Aebleskiver pastries, marvel at the Scandinavian windmills, walk in a main street called “Copenhagen Drive” and visit the Hans Christian Andersen Museum, which pays homage to the Danish author of fairy tales. The members of the Danish royal family went there several times over the decades.
Mickey Mouse in a Viking helmet? Yes, please
In 2019, Trump gave up a trip to Denmark, complaining that Prime Minister Put Frederiksen had made a “unpleasant” statement by rejecting her proposal to buy Greenland, calling it absurd.
Mr. Trump, who is in his second term, redoubles efforts. Before taking office in January, he said that he did not exclude taking Greenland by military force, saying once again that the territory was “vital” for national security in the United States.
Mr. Frederiksen and Múte B Egede, the Prime Minister of Greenland, do not allow themselves to be done.
“Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people,” said Egede at a press conference held last month in Copenhagen alongside Mr. Frederiksen. “We don’t want to be Danish, we don’t want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic.”
Donald Trump Jr’s eldest son went to Greenland last month, declaring to the citizens that the Trump administration would treat them well. It then appeared that many of the Greenlanders ostensibly pro-Trump who appeared by his side were homeless who had been paid to participate in the event.
It is in this context that the authors of the petition, under the name of Denmarkification, decided to draw inspiration from Trump’s former career as a real estate developer. They announce major projects for Disneyland in Southern California.
“We will rename him Hans Christian Andersenland”, we can read in the petition. “Mickey Mouse with a Viking headset? Yes, please.”
The organizers of the petition, however, added a non-liability clause: “This campaign is 100 % real … in our dreams”.
Additional sources • Adaptation: Serge Duchêne