Move over ‘Make America Great Again’, it’s ‘Make America Go…’ In Greenland, it’s not the MAGA that you thought

During US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to a US air base in Greenland last week, Greenlanders staged some of the largest demonstrations ever seen in in the island nation. While some anti-American protesters were seen holding “Yankees Go Home” banners others were wearing “Make America Go Away” caps, now gaining popularity worldwide.

In a post on Facebook, shared before Vance and his wife Usha Vance’s visit to Greenland, a native of the island shared a parody MAGA (Make America Great Again) hat. The picture he shared shows a red cap with the words “Make America Go Away” written on it. Residents in Nuuk also planted Greenlandic flags in the snow and a cardboard sign in English that said “Our Land. Our Future”.

Aannguaq Reimer-Johansen, a Greenland native, shared the post a week before the Vances’ arrival. “Citizens: Vance’s wife’s visit is a charm offensive. If you take a smiling selfie with them, you are sending a signal to the whole world that you love America and want to be part of it. Therefore don’t show interest. We have already shown our position through a large demonstration. Let’s stand firm and stick together,” he wrote.

What is MAGA

The ‘Make America Great Again’ movement was started by US President Donald Trump during his presidential campaign in 2016. MAGA became a rallying cry for many Trump supporters during his candidacy, and continues to be the centre of all his rallies and speeches till date.

The MAGA movement was founded on the belief that America was once a “great” country but lost its status owing to foreign influences. Its supporters believe that this can be reversed through “America first” policies, which are now being executed by President Trump.

From Trump’s crack down on the US’ immigration policies to the recent announcement of reciprocal tariffs, MAGA has been in focus all along.

Why anti-MAGA protests in Greenland

The prime minister of Greenland has pushed back against assertions by US President Donald Trump that America will take control of the island territory.

Greenland, a huge, resource-rich island in the Atlantic, is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States. Trump wants to annex the territory, claiming it’s needed for national security purposes.

“President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post.

Nielsen’s post came after the US president told NBC News that military force wasn’t off the table with regard to acquiring Greenland.

In the interview, Trump allowed that “I think there’s a good possibility that we could do it without military force.”

“This is world peace, this is international security,” he said, but added: “I don’t take anything off the table.”

Greenland’s residents and politicians have reacted with anger to Trump’s repeated suggestions, with Danish leaders also pushing back.

Trump also said “I don’t care,” when asked in the NBC interview what message this would send to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has invaded Ukraine and annexed several of its provinces in defiance of international law.

(With inputs from agencies)