Denmark votes in election shadowed by Trump’s Greenland ambitions
2026.03.24 08:20 An election advertisement in Copenhagen for Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister. Photo: Reuters Danes were voting on Tuesday in an election that may hand Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen a third term thanks to her staunch line against US President Donald Trump over Greenland even though cost-of-living worries have hurt her leftist credentials. Opinion polls show her Social Democrats are headed for their weakest result since before World War II: many Danes blame Frederiksen for not doing enough to protect their Nordic welfare model, while others point to growing weariness after nearly seven years of her leadership. Frederiksen, 48, called the vote months before an October deadline, in what observers said was an effort to capitalise on an uptick in popularity when Trump’s rhetoric about controlling Greenland intensified in January and he refused to rule out military force. But the Greenland issue has since moved to a less heated diplomatic track and has been overtaken by domestic concerns including a proposal for a wealth tax and debates about immigration. An election advertisement in Copenhagen for Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister. Photo: Reuters Still, Frederiksen has campaigned on a promise that her tough and tested leadership skills will help the nation of 6 million navigate a complex relationship with Washington and a European response to Russia’s war with Ukraine. “I know that sometimes I express myself a bit bluntly,” she said during a recent campaign event. “But given the times we live in, it is perhaps very good that there are some things that cannot be misunderstood: that Russia should not be allowed to win or that Greenland is not for sale.” Frederiksen, who has led Denmark since 2019, was the first premier to bridge the left-right divide in Denmark in more than 40 years, but her coalition is now projected to lose its parliamentary majority. “To a large degree, this election is about Mette Frederiksen,” said politi
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