Gov. Jeff Landry already has his hands full with a full-time job, but the Louisiana Republican has apparently accepted a new and unexpected side gig. Reuters reported:
President Donald Trump named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Sunday as his special envoy to Greenland, drawing renewed criticism from Denmark and Greenland over Washington’s interest in the mineral-rich Arctic island. […]
Landry, in a post on X, thanked Trump: ‘It’s an honor to serve … in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S. This in no way affects my position as Governor of Louisiana!’
Late last year, when Trump was still in his post-election transition period, he announced plans to try to annex Greenland for reasons he struggled to explain. In the weeks and months that followed, the Republican suggested he was quite serious about his imperialistic ambitions — in March, he refused to take the possible use of force off the table — and as 2025 comes to an end, the president has tapped Landry as a special envoy because, as he put it, the governor “understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security.”
Everything about this story remains quite odd, in part because the White House continues to infuriate Denmark, a longtime NATO ally, and in part because Greenland clearly has no interest in becoming part of the United States.
Even the choice of Landry is curious: The Louisiana Republican not only has a job that keeps him busy, but he also has no experience whatsoever with Greenland, Denmark, territorial acquisition or international diplomacy.
But hanging overhead is a related question: Does the president fully understand what special envoys are supposed to do? A year ago this week, for example, Trump tapped a special envoy to the U.K., who would apparently work parallel to the U.S. ambassador to the U.K. The Washington Post’s report noted at the time, “Typically special envoys are appointed to countries where there are conflicts or no diplomatic relations, such as Iran.” Indeed, despite the fact that special envoys have tended to be used for areas facing international crises, Trump tapped others for envoy roles, leading to inevitable diplomatic confusion about who, exactly, speaks on behalf of the administration. With the addition of Landry to the diplomatic team, the problem is suddenly worse for reasons the White House has yet to explain.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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