Trump has again raised the idea of the US taking control of Greenland, arguing that the Arctic island is important for security and strategic reasons. The latest remarks echo his 2019 push to explore buying Greenland from Denmark, which at the time was dismissed by Copenhagen as “absurd” and led to a diplomatic spat after Trump cancelled a state visit.​

In recent days, the rhetoric has sharpened. Katie Miller, wife of senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller, posted an image of Greenland covered by a US flag and captioned “SOON” on social media, prompting outrage in Denmark and Greenland. Trump has meanwhile tapped Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy tasked with advancing US interests over the territory, a move critics describe as a political escalation.

Into this escalating geopolitical dispute, Björk has added a cultural and moral intervention, using her platform to spotlight Greenland’s long colonial history and present-day inequalities. In her Instagram note, she sends “blessings” to Greenlanders “in their fight for independence” and explicitly connects their struggle to Iceland’s own decision to break from Danish rule in 1944, saying Icelanders are “extremely relieved” they preserved their language and sovereignty.​

Björk also references historic and recent Danish policies towards Greenlanders, including reports of a state-backed IUD programme affecting Greenlandic women and girls in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and contemporary child welfare cases that campaigners say disproportionately target Greenlandic families. She characterises the current moment as a choice between continued subordination within the Danish kingdom and the risk of a shift to US control, which she frames as continuations of colonial dynamics.

Björk’s intervention lands in a music culture that is increasingly attuned to Indigenous rights, climate justice and the politics of land and extraction. Greenland’s own musicians have long folded themes of language, environment and autonomy into everything from indie releases to throat‑singing, and the renewed independence debate is likely to intensify that creative focus.

Denmark and Greenland have responded in unusually direct terms. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen has urged Trump to “stop the threats” and underlined that Greenland is “not for sale” and cannot be annexed under international law. 

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has voiced measured concern over the escalating rhetoric surrounding Greenland, emphasising the importance of respecting Denmark’s sovereignty as a key NATO ally. Speaking with the BBC,  Starmer said, “Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark must decide the future of Greenland, and only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark”. 

In an interview aboard the Air Force One, Trump said “the EU needs us to have [Greenland], and they know that”. In response, Paul Pinho, European Commission chief spokesperson, stated it is “certainly not” their position.

In 2020, while running for re-election, the former President used Electric Avenue in a campaign video and posted it to Twitter (now known as X). After issuing a cease and desist letter to the Trump campaign asking for the video to be removed, it finally was taken down. In that time, it had been viewed over 13 million times. Eddy Grant sued Trump for copyright infringement.

Trump’s defence attempted to argue they were permitted to use the song, as outlined in US copyright law, under ‘fair use’, which allows the limited use of copyrighted material without asking for permission. However, four years later, according to BBC News, “a federal judge in Manhattan ruled Mr Trump breached Mr Grant’s copyright for his 1983 hit, and is now liable for damages as well as paying for the singer’s legal fees”.

The case highlights longstanding issues within the music industry about the need to compensate artists for the use of their work and a trickier conversation about how their work gets used by others. Trump’s campaign thought it would be appropriate to use a song written about the 1981 Brixton riots, simply for these lyrics: “Now in the street, there is violence, and a lots of work to be done”. Juxtaposed to imagery in their video of a red “Trump-Pence” train speeding ahead of a handcar operated by an animated likeness of then-candidate Joe Biden, as described by Copyrightlately.

Eddy Grant can celebrate his win but he is part of a long list of artists who have taken action against Trump and are opposed to him using their music. These include:

ABBA
Adele
Aerosmith
A-ha
The Animals
The Beatles
Beyoncé
Bruce Springsteen
Celine Dion
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Earth, Wind & Fire
Eddy Grant
Elton John
Everlast
Foo Fighters
Free
Guns N’ Roses
Isaac Hayes
Johnny Marr
Leonard Cohen
Linkin Park
Luciano Pavarotti
Neil Young
Nickelback
Nico Vega
The O’Jays
Ozzy Osbourne
Panic! at the Disco
Pharrell Williams
Phil Collins
Prince
Queen
R.E.M.
Rihanna
The Rolling Stones
Sinéad O’Connor
Spinal Tap
Tom Petty
Twisted Sister
Village People
The White Stripes
Yoann Lemoine

Furthermore, a group of artists, in collaboration with the Artist Rights Alliance, which includes: Mick Jagger, Lorde, Sia, Blondie, Sheryl Crow, Green Day, Lionel Richie, Elvis Costello, Keith Richards, Steven Tyler and Rosanne Cash have signed a letter demanding that politicians seek permission before playing their music at campaign rallies and public events.

Collective action like this might change the impetus to use copyrighted material without permission in future. At present, the outcomes for the above cases against Trump are still pending.

The Republican candidate stormed to victory early Wednesday (Nov. 9), despite his rival Hillary Clinton gaining campaign support from a galaxy of stars, from Beyonce and Jay Z, to Adele, Katy Perry, Jon Bon Jovi and Lady Gaga.

Trump had won several “swing states”, including Florida, Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina, allowing him to reach the 270 electoral college votes needed to ensure victory.

Responding to the news, Bestival organiser Rob Da Bank tweeted, saying: “How can America go from Obama to Trump in 4 years?! Has someone hacked the tv channels with some mental made up film? This is insane.”

The news that Trump is soon to be in the Oval Office understandably shook the largely pro-Hillary Clinton music world, which reacted with a mix of anger, confusion and determination to regroup and rebel.

Musicians and celebs turned to social media to share their thoughts as Trump edged ahead and sealed victory.

The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney wrote: “Think of all the free coverage @CNN and the rest of the media gave Trump and all the money they will make with him as President.”

Do not sit still. Do not weep. MOVE. We are not a nation that will let HATE lead us.

— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) November 9, 2016

“It is disappointing, sad and frightening that someone who has been so hateful and has no qualifications to be President has been elected. We can only hope that if he cares about our country, he really does serve as the president of all of us in this nation, that he abandons the hate speeches and the bullying and assembles an excellent group of advisors that can help him govern . . . but really all we can truly do is pray that he becomes a different president than who he has been as a candidate.” – Prince Royce via Billboard.