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\n President Donald Trump said Sunday night he is appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland.\n <\/p>\n
\n Trump wrote on social media<\/a> that the Louisiana Republican \u201cunderstands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country\u2019s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n It is unclear whether Landry, who became governor in 2024, would have to step down for the special envoy position. CNN has reached out to the White House and Landry\u2019s office for additional details on the appointment.\n <\/p>\n \n The president first expressed interest in buying Greenland from the Danish government during his first term<\/a>. The island, which sits between Europe and the United States, has long been seen as key for US security<\/a>, especially to repel a potential attack from Russia, and is rich in rare earth minerals.\n <\/p>\n \n In his second term, Trump has floated annexing Greenland, saying in May<\/a>, \u201cI don\u2019t rule it out.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWe need Greenland very badly,\u201d Trump said at the time. \u201cGreenland is a very small amount of people, which we\u2019ll take care of, and we\u2019ll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Trump\u2019s remarks, along with Vice President JD Vance\u2019s trip to the island<\/a> in March, rankled Greenland and Denmark in equal measure.\n <\/p>\n