Jens-Frederik Nielsen
Jens-Frederik Nielsen is a Greenlandic politician who has served as the prime minister of Greenland since 2025. He is the leader of the Demokraatit party, 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 Demokraatit party to hold the office of prime minister.
He has condemned U.S. hybrid warfare against Greenland under the second Trump administration, and said that Donald Trump will not "get" Greenland.
Early life and education
Jens-Frederik Nielsen was born and raised in Greenland. His Danish father moved to Greenland as a child, while his Greenlandic Inuit mother was born and raised in Greenland. His hometown is Nuuk.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.
Nielsen earned a degree in social science from the University of Greenland.
Political career
In 2020, Nielsen was elected to succeed Niels Thomsen as chair of the Demokraatit party. He was reelected to the role in March 2024.In May 2020, Nielsen was named the Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources as part of the Kielsen VII Cabinet.
Political views
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.Nielsen has advocated for reducing reliance on Denmark's block grant by prioritising business development and economic self-sufficiency in Greenland.
Prime Minister of Greenland (2025-present)
During the 2025 Greenlandic general election, Nielsen received 4,850 personal votes. Nielsen received more votes than incumbent Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede, who received 3,276.On 27 August 2025, Nielsen, along with Prime Minister Frederiksen, issued an official apology on behalf of the Danish and Greenlandic governments for historic abuses against Greenlandic women, including forced contraception.
United States threats
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..." Nielsen said Trump will not "get" Greenland. 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. 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.Prime Minister Mette 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.
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. Nielsen said:
In response to Nielsen stating that Greenland had no wish to become part of the US, claimed 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."