Landry anticipates talk of business opportunities, possible medical support, and more in a visit involving State Department officials.
WASHINGTON—In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, the United States’ Special Envoy to Greenland, described his plans for his inaugural trip to the Danish territory, which is scheduled for May 17 through May 20.
He said his trip will be confined to Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. According to Landry, it will center on the annual Future Greenland conference, a forum for discussing business opportunities on the world’s largest island.
Describing the visit as a trade mission, the special envoy said he hoped to explore mining, tourism, and seafood, as well as the possibility of an American health care initiative to address tuberculosis, hepatitis D, and other issues in Greenland’s small and scattered villages.
“This is basically a trip that gives us an opportunity to collect information on what Greenlanders view as opportunities,” he said.
Landry said he will be joined by the United States’ ambassador to Denmark, Ken Howery, as well as the State Department’s Ali Motamedi.
“The ambassador’s team has been working closely with the Future Greenland conference and the stakeholders that are in Greenland, trying to identify those industries or stakeholders who want to expand opportunities with the United States, and those are the meetings that we’re going to be having,” Landry said.
The visit comes as the United States opens new consulate office space in the territory amid President Donald Trump’s interest in acquiring it.
Early in 2026, Pele Broberg, the leader of Greenland’s strongly pro-independence Naleraq party, advocated direct talks between the United States and Greenland that do not include Danish officials.
Landry said Howery’s presence “lends itself to visiting with a multitude of Greenland officials,” though he did not specify additional names.
A participant list for Future Greenland names Landry, Howery, Motamedi, and others associated with the United States, alongside Danish and Greenlandic officials.
The United States, Denmark, and Greenland have been holding high-level negotiations over the future of the territory’s security.
The United States is reported to have proposed opening three military bases in southern Greenland. The country already maintains Pituffik Space Base, located in northern Greenland, less than a thousand miles from the North Pole.
Landry said he has not been a part of that security dialogue.
“I do think that that increased military presence in Greenland is actually a must for the safety of not only Greenland but for the Western Hemisphere as well,” he said.
