Who is Jeff Landry? Why did his appointment trigger Denmark fury?

US President Donald Trump has renewed his struggle to include Greenland in US territory, urging its importance in the US national security. He has appointed Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland. This has added fuel to the ongoing tension, triggering EU fury. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded, “border is not for sale”. Landry took to his social media account, wrote an official X account, thanked Trump and wrote, "It’s an honour to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!"

Denmark's Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he is "deeply upset" by the statements made by Landry. “I am deeply upset by this appointment of a special envoy. And I ‌am particularly upset by his statements, which we find completely unacceptable,” said Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

Who is Jeff Landry?

Jeff Landry is a voracious conservative speaker and the Governor of Louisiana. He started of as a Deputy Sheriff during his college days, and one term in the US Congress of Louisiana State, had been climbing up the ladder gradually. He is a lawyer by profession. Before becoming the Louisiana Governor, he served as the Attorney General of Louisiana and had been involved in several high-profile legal battles with Democrats, such as bringing back Capital punishment in Louisiana and carrying it out using Nitrogen gas. Earlier in 2025, he passed a litigation making the Ten Commandments of the Bible to be displayed in all classrooms; however, it was later blocked. His other confrontational litigation includes pandemic vaccine mandates, environmental regulations, and defending the strictest abortion law. While his time in the US Congress between 2011-13, he pushed to stop Queer and Gender studies at Louisiana University.

He is a Trump loyalist. Last month, he reportedly asked Trump for National Guard troops in Louisiana to arrest 5,000 undocumented immigrants. But has only managed to arrest only few. However, he had no experience in international relations, so his appointment as US envoy to Greenland came as a surprise to many, even among Republicans.