Former US ambassador: ‘Denmark is not a big fan of Donald Trump and his politics’

Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Rufus Gifford said Wednesday that the European nation is “a big fan of the United States of America” but not of “Donald Trump and his politics.”

“This is just not the way you treat an ally,” Gifford said on CNN’s “New Day,” in response to President Trump postponing a meeting with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen after she dismissed his idea that the U.S. purchase Greenland, a Danish territory.

“Denmark is not a big fan of Donald Trump and his politics,” he also noted. “They are a big fan of the United States of America.”

“Denmark is not a big fan of Donald Trump and his politics… They are a big fan of the United States of America,” says Rufus Gifford, former US ambassador to Denmark. “And to cancel the trip in this way is just a shame. It’s absolutely a shame.”https://t.co/i0Qvfgmchk pic.twitter.com/lsdo51DS4a

— New Day (@NewDay) August 21, 2019

{mosads}The planned meeting, which was to be the first state dinner involving a U.S. president in Denmark since the Clinton administration, was “a big deal,” Gifford said, and “in essence, [Trump] made his visit contingent on the kingdom being willing to negotiate the sale of part of their territory.”

Citing the centuries-long friendly relations between the U.S. and Denmark, Gifford said the back-and-forth was “just a sad chapter to me.”

Gifford also lamented the wasted money and time on both the U.S. and Danish sides. “The fact that they had an American president visiting was a big deal for them … and to cancel the trip in this way is just a shame. It’s absolutely a shame,” he said.

Trump tweeted on Tuesday, “Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.”

“The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!” he added.