Vice President JD Vance will be joining his wife Usha and other US officials in Greenland later this week after it was reported that the second lady would be going to a traditional dog sled race in Greenland.

Vance posted on X, announcing that he would be joining his wife.

The vice president said, “There was so much excitement around Usha’s visit to Greenland this Friday that I decided that I didn’t want her to have all that fun by herself, and so I’m going to join her.”

“I’m going to visit some of our guardians in the space force on the northwest coast of Greenland. And also just check out what’s going on with the security there of Greenland,” Vance added.

“A lot of other countries have threatened Greenland. Have threatened to use its territories and its waterways to threaten the United States, to threaten Canada, and, of course, to threaten the people of Greenland. So we’re gonna check out how things are going there,” Vance continued.

“Speaking for President Trump, we want to reinvigorate the security of the people of Greenland, because we think it’s important to protecting the security of the entire world. Unfortunately, leaders in both America and in Denmark, I think, ignored Greenland for far too long. That’s been bad for Greenland. It’s also been bad for the security of the entire world. We think we can take things in a different direction. a different direction, so I’m gonna go check it out.”

It was reported by a Greenland-based outlet that Usha’s visit was not official, but for a private matter. Along with Usha, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright were also going to the island. Greenland Prime Minister Mute B. Egede said that the visit is part of the US’ “very aggressive” attempt to take more control over land in the region.  

“We are now at a level where this cannot in any way be characterized as a harmless visit from a politician’s wife. … The only purpose is to demonstrate power over us,” Egede said, per Politico. 

President Donald Trump has said that it is important for security for the United States as well as the world internationally for the island to be under a sort of US control. Trump told reporters on Monday that officials in Greenland were inviting the delegation to come to the island. “People from Greenland are asking us to go there,” Trump said. Greenland has disputed that they invited the delegation. 

Trump has said previously, “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”