(March 24): Second Lady Usha Vance will travel to Greenland this week, the latest ally of Donald Trump to visit the island, as the US president ramps up his rhetoric that his country should buy it from Denmark.

Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, will travel to Greenland with her son and a US delegation on Thursday and return on Saturday, the White House said. She is expected to visit historical sites and attend the Avannaata Qimussersua, Greenland’s national dog-sled race.

The planned trip comes after one that Donald Trump Jr made in January, which the president’s son described as a personal visit that didn’t include any scheduled meetings with officials.

“Ms Vance and the delegation are excited to witness this monumental race and celebrate Greenlandic culture and unity,” the White House said in a statement.

Trump has posited that the US needs Greenland to protect its own national security interests, telling Congress in a speech this month that he expects to get it “one way or the other”. His stance on Greenland reflects an increasingly expansionist US agenda that has included desires to take over Canada, the Panama Canal and Gaza.

The president first considered acquiring Greenland during his first term in office, but was rejected by Denmark’s government at the time. Greenland has been a Danish territory since 1953, and was a Danish colony before that.

About 85% of people in Greenland oppose the idea of becoming part of the US, according to a January poll of the island. About half of those polled viewed Trump’s interest in Greenland as an opportunity.

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