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Prime Minister of Greenland since 2025

Jens-Frederik Nielsen
Nielsen in 2026
Prime Minister of Greenland
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 April 2025
MonarchFrederik X
Preceded byMúte Bourup Egede
Chair of the Demokraatit Party
Incumbent
Assumed office
2020
Preceded byNiels Thomsen
Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources
In office
29 May 2020 – 8 February 2021
Prime MinisterKim Kielsen
Preceded byJess Svane
Succeeded byNaaja Nathanielsen
Personal details
Born (1991-06-22) 22 June 1991 (age 35)
Greenland
PartyDemokraatit
University of Greenland
Medal record
Badminton
Representing  Greenland
Island Games
Silver medal – second place2009 ÅlandTeam
Gold medal – first place2015 JerseyMen's doubles
Silver medal – second place2017 GotlandMen's doubles
Bronze medal – third place2019 GibraltarMen's singles
Gold medal – first place2019 GibraltarTeam
Gold medal – first place2023 GuernseyMen's singles
Silver medal – second place2023 GuernseyTeam

Jens-Frederik Nielsen (born 22 June 1991) is a Greenlandic politician who has served as the prime minister of Greenland since 2025. He is the leader of the Demokraatit party (the Democrats), and he formerly served as the Minister of Labour and Mineral Resources during the Kielsen VII Cabinet of May 2020 to February 2021. Nielsen is the first member of the Democrats to hold the office of prime minister. Before entering politics, he was a champion badminton player.

Early life and education

[edit]

Jens-Frederik Nielsen was born on 22 June 1991[1] and raised in Greenland.[2] His Danish father moved to Greenland as a child, while his Greenlandic Inuit mother was born and raised there.[3] Nielsen grew up in Nuuk.[2][4]

Nielsen has described experiencing bullying during his childhood because of his mixed background and appearance, stating that he was targeted by other pupils for "looking Danish", despite attending the Greenlandic language class and having a Greenlandic mother. He has also noted that socioeconomic differences – his primary school was located in a socially disadvantaged area of Nuuk, while he lived in a different district – contributed to his treatment at school. Nielsen has stated that these experiences influenced his political views and his advocacy for a diverse and inclusive Greenland, with equal space for all who wish to contribute to society.[5]

Nielsen earned a degree in social science from the University of Greenland.[2][4]

[edit]

Nielsen became a member of the Greenland national badminton team in 2009,[6] and won the singles and doubles championships in most years for several years. He also won a number of medals at the Island Games,[4] including the gold medal in men's singles badminton in the 2023 Island Games.[6]

Political career

[edit]

In 2020, Nielsen was elected to succeed Niels Thomsen as chair of the Demokraatit party[7] (the Democrats).[4] He was reelected to the role in March 2024.[7]

In May 2020, Nielsen was named the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources as part of the Kielsen VII Cabinet,[8][9] but lost the role after he withdrew his party from the government shortly afterwards.[4]

Political views

[edit]

After Russian forces had begun their war of aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Nielsen urged Polar Seafood A/S to halt its Russian operations, emphasising the need to pressure Russia and restore peace in Europe.[10]

Nielsen has advocated for reducing reliance on Denmark's block grant by prioritising business development and economic self-sufficiency in Greenland.[2]

Prime Minister of Greenland (2025-present)

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Nielsen at the opening of the Folketing in Copenhagen in October 2025

In the general election in March 2025, the Democrats more than tripled their seats,[4] and Nielsen received 4,850 personal votes. Incumbent Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede received 3,276 votes.[11]

On 27 August 2025, Nielsen, along with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, issued an official apology on behalf of the Danish and Greenlandic governments for historic abuses against Greenlandic women, including forced contraception.[12]

United States threats

[edit]

On 20 January 2025, Donald Trump began his second term as U.S. president. In March 2025, Nielsen condemned Trump's threats to invade Greenland, stating that "We don't want to be Americans. No, we don't want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future..."[13] Nielsen said Trump will not "get" Greenland.[14] Shortly before Vice President of the United States JD Vance and his wife Usha arrived to visit the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on 29 March 2025, a four-party coalition government was announced by Nielsen.[4][15] He also showed his solidarity with Denmark in the face of the US threat, when went on an official visit with Frederiksen to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron.[4]

In April 2025, a plan by the US for undermining the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark through a campaign of foreign interference and disinformation on social media became known.[16] The official Danish threat assessment published by the Danish Defence Intelligence Service in 2025 for the first time mentioned the US as a threat to national security, alongside Russia and China.[17][18][19] Frederiksen reminded Trump that an attack on the Kingdom of Denmark is an attack on NATO, and that all NATO members are obligated to come to Denmark's defence. Greenland, as part of Denmark, is a member of NATO and therefore covered by the collective security guarantee.[20]

Nielsen with Mette Frederiksen at a press conference in the Ministry of State, 13 January 2026

On 13 January 2026, ten days after US troops had attacked Venezuela and captured Maduro and his wife, Nielsen and Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said in a joint press conference that the US pressure campaign against Greenland was unacceptable, and that Greenland is not for sale. Nielsen emphasised that talk about buying another people shows a lack of respect.[21] Nielsen said:[22]

One thing must be clear to everyone: Greenland does not want to be owned by the US, Greenland does not want to be governed by the US, Greenland does not want to be part of the US. We choose the Greenland we know today, which is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

In response to Nielsen stating that Greenland had no wish to become part of the US, Trump said in January 2026 that he did not know who the Greenlandic prime minister was, stating: "I disagree with them. I don't know who he is, don't know anything about him, but that's going to be a big problem".[23]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Yim, Felix (4 January 2026). "Meet Jens-Frederik Nielsen: the Prime Minister of Greenland". BBN Times.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gronholt-Pedersen, Jacob (28 March 2025). "Who is Greenland's new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen?". Reuters. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  3. ↑ Petersen, Jacob Qvirin (22 May 2019). "Så render en lille grønlænder som mig rundt derinde". sport.tv2.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bryant, Miranda (31 January 2026). "'Under pressure': Greenland's PM gains fans at home and abroad after his rebuke of Trump". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 February 2026. Retrieved 15 February 2026. The 34-year-old was sworn in last April
  5. ↑ "Hvem er grønlenderen som taler Trump midt imot? Dette er Jens-Frederik Nielsen". Aftenposten. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
  6. 1 2 Tobiassen, Nukaaka (18 July 2023). "Island Games: Overrasket Jens-Frederik Nielsen vandt guld". KNR (in Danish). Archived from the original on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  7. 1 2 Veirum, Thomas Munk (16 March 2024). "Demokraatit-formand fortsætter på posten". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). Archived from the original on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  8. ↑ "Jens Frederik Nielsen". Nordic Co-operation. The Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. Archived from the original on 12 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  9. ↑ "New minister for the mineral resources area". Mineral Resources Authority. 3 June 2020. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  10. ↑ "Polar Seafood under politisk pres: - Stop al produktion i Rusland og forlad landet". Sermitsiaq (in Danish). 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 29 March 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "Demokraatit-formand overgår regeringschef". TV 2 (Danish TV channel) (in Danish). 12 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  12. ↑ "Denmark and Greenland apologize for painful legacy of forced Inuit contraception". AP News. 27 August 2025. Archived from the original on 27 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Lauritzen, Pia (11 March 2025). "Greenland Has Spoken: What Trump Doesn't Get About Us". Forbes. Archived from the original on 13 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  14. ↑ "Greenland's Prime Minister Says the U.S. Will Not 'Get' the Island". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  15. ↑ Bryant, Miranda (28 March 2025). "JD Vance to expect frosty reception in Greenland amid diplomatic row". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  16. ↑ "USA har planen klar for å overta Grønland". Aftenposten. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  17. ↑ "Danish intelligence classifies Trump's America as a security risk". Politico. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  18. ↑ "A sentence about the USA in a new threat assessment". Politiken. Archived from the original on 23 December 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  19. ↑ "Danish Intelligence Warns U.S. "Hemispheric Approach" Raises Arctic Security Uncertainty". High North News. Archived from the original on 23 December 2025. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  20. ↑ . .
  22. ↑ "'We choose Denmark' over the US, Greenland's PM says". DW. Archived from the original on 13 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  23. ↑ "'It's A Big Problem': Trump's Warning After Greenland "Chooses" Denmark". NDTV. 14 January 2026. Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
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