Organizers of a long-standing dog sled race in Greenland say they've launched an investigation into who invited President Donald Trump's special envoy to the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
In a statement posted to Facebook on Tuesday, the Greenland Dog Sledding Association (KNQK) said it learned from an American journalist that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry had been invited to the group's annual race.
The KNQK board called it "unacceptable that political pressure is being exerted from outside" and said "the participation of foreign political actors" would be "wholly inappropriate."
The group said it is now working to determine who sent Landry an invitation to the event.
Trump appointed the Republican governor as his special envoy to Greenland last month, tasking him with spearheading the administration's push to bring the strategically located Arctic island under U.S. control.
Landry, who took office in early 2024, called the volunteer role an "honor" in a post on X and said he would work to "make Greenland a part of the U.S."
The controversy follows a previous dustup involving American visitors to the dog sledding competition.
Last year, Usha Vance, wife of Vice President JD Vance, was expected to attend the race as part of a U.S. tour, but she backed out of attending the event after protests.
Trump has argued that Greenland is critical to U.S. strategy and Arctic security and mocked Denmark's efforts to bolster the island's defenses just before taking office for his second term.
"You know what their defense is? Two dog sleds," Trump said at the time, according to Politico.
The remark was an apparent reference to Greenland's dog sled patrols — part of a defense spending package worth at least $1.5 billion announced by Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen in December 2024.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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