While enjoying his “5 minutes of fame” for creating the anti-MAGA hat for Greenland, Jesper Toennesen is determined to do what he can for Greenland.
He created the anti-MAGA hat “Nu det NUUK!” and owns a clothing store McKorman in Copenhagen, Denmark. When the parody MAGA (Make America Go Away) hat went viral, Toennesen said how glad he is that Donald Trump backed down on taking over Greenland.
In recent weeks, Trump has continually threatened to take over the Danish territory and faced major backlash from around the world. As Greenland continued to fill the headlines, copycat products took off in support of the Arctic island.
This is particularly so for Jesper Toennesen, the Copenhagen shop owner whose MAGA parody hat went viral. He told Business Insider that he will continue to raise support for Greenland and its right to self-determination.
“You don’t feel that you have any promises, because it can change again,” he said of Trump’s proposed deal with Denmark.
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It was reported that Greenlanders have been brutally mocking America on TikTok, but, thanks to Toennesen, they can continue to mock Donald Trump with their red Make American Go Away hats.
Meanwhile, Toennesen’s business hit the international spotlight over the red hat he designed late last year against the US takeover of Greenland, which was emblazoned with “Nu det Nuuk,” a twist on the Danish way to say “Now it’s enough” while using the name of Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.
The shop owner was inspired by a parody “Make America Go Away” hat he had seen before, but felt it important to make a statement in his native language. Meanwhile, the alternate MAGA phrase was also included on a side panel with a Greenland flag.
“Trump maybe took one step too much,” Toennesen said, referring to the US president’s threats to seize the NATO ally’s territory. “We can’t communicate with him — we have to say, now it’s enough, because we tried.”
He admitted that the first run of 300 hats didn’t go so well, but with copycat products and interest online, the idea surged over the last weekend as Trump continued to rant about the issue, while protesters took to the streets in Copenhagen and Nuuk.
Before the protests took off, Toennesen and his team created a printed version of the hats to distribute in the crowd, which turned the image into a major sensation. Reportedly, this saw an almost 900 percent increase in search volume on the term “Greenland” in the last 30 days.
Meanwhile, the shop owner said he and his partners are pledging to donate the profit from the hats to charities in Greenland.
“I have five minutes of fame where I can use this to help Greenland,” he said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
While Trump had repeatedly threatened to take Greenland, even if by force, and also threatened high tariffs on European countries over the issue, he finally dropped the idea. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said he had an agreement that would include “total access” in Greenland for the US.
Trump said this week he has no intention of taking the territory by force and no longer intends to slap tariffs on European countries over the Greenland issue. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump also said an agreement would include “total access” for the US.
Meanwhile, Toennesen hasn’t finished yet and has several thousand more arriving in the next couple of days, including one design that says, rightfully, that Greenland is “Already Great.” While he is still away that public attention can soon veer away, he is happy that he had the possibility to speak out, adding, “You have to do it when the train is running.”
