Here’s what you should know about Trump’s newly assigned Greenland envoy

US President Trump has selected Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as the United States’ special envoy to Greenland on December 22, a move that has surprised officials in the semiautonomous Danish territory as well as residents of Louisiana.

The precise scope of Landry’s role remains unclear. He will continue serving as governor, but his new duties are tied to Trump’s long-standing interest in taking over Greenland, a strategically important Arctic territory. How Landry will balance both roles — or what authority he will have — has not been specified. 

Landry, a Republican with a thick Cajun accent and no formal foreign policy background, is an unconventional choice. A Trump loyalist, he has openly supported the president’s Greenland ambitions, The New York Times writes. 

“President Donald J. Trump is absolutely right!” Landry posted on X in January. “We need to ensure that Greenland joins the United States. GREAT for them, GREAT for us! Let’s get it done!”

A conservative fighter

Before winning the Louisiana governorship in 2023, Landry served as the state’s attorney general from 2016. In that role, he built a reputation as a combative conservative, frequently suing Democratic administrations and officials. His legal battles included challenges to pandemic vaccine mandates, environmental regulations and efforts to curb misinformation on social media.

Landry also defended Louisiana’s abortion law, among the strictest in the country. After a court hearing, he said critics could leave the state.

In the 2023 election, Landry unexpectedly won outright in a crowded field, avoiding a runoff. A former sheriff’s deputy and one-term US congressman, he campaigned heavily on fighting crime, though critics noted that crime policy largely fell outside a governor’s direct control.

Fierce loyalty to Trump

As governor, Landry has closely aligned himself with Trump. He has asked the president to send National Guard troops to Louisiana and praised a recent Border Patrol operation in the New Orleans area aimed at arresting 5,000 undocumented immigrants — an effort that has resulted in only a few hundred arrests and drawn criticism for aggressive tactics and economic harm. Landry has defended the operation, saying it made the state safer.

Little foreign policy experience

Landry’s record includes few international credentials. Domestically, he has pushed Louisiana sharply to the right, signing a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms — a measure a federal appeals panel called “plainly unconstitutional.”

He has also intervened in state university affairs, including Louisiana State University’s football program.

“Hell, I’ll let Donald Trump select it before I let him do it,” he said of choosing a new coach.

Landry did lead a delegation to the Paris Air Show this year to promote investment, but nothing in his résumé directly relates to diplomacy with Denmark.

Trump has frequently appointed close allies to sensitive roles abroad. Still, Greenlandic leaders have reiterated their position. Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish Parliament, wrote on Facebook that Landry was “welcome to visit,” but emphasised that Greenland was not for sale.

By Sabina Mammadli