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Presidential Message on Leif Erikson Day

Half a millennium before legendary American hero Christopher Columbus set foot in the New World, Norse explorer Leif Erikson made history as the first European to arrive on the North American continent. This Leif Erikson Day, we celebrate his exceptional legacy of bravery, daring, and exploration as we build upon our extraordinary relationships with our Nordic partners and open a glorious new chapter in America’s Arctic story.

Born in 970, Leif Erikson developed a love for exploration and adventure that he would carry through his entire life, a calling that would change the world for centuries to come. His steadfast Christian faith gave him the conviction to sail into the unknown, voyaging over 1,800 miles across the Atlantic with a small crew of 35 men and overcoming raging winds, crashing waves, and crippling storms to reach the shores of L’Anse aux Meadows in northern Newfoundland, Canada—the land he named “ Vinland .” In doing so, he opened the door between two worlds and proved that no ocean could hold back the course of discovery—the same daring spirit that would one day build the greatest Nation on Earth.

A millennium later, that resolve lives on in America’s outstanding relationships with Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—nations bound to us by adventure, fortitude, and faith in Almighty God. Nowhere is that bond stronger today than in Greenland, where Lief Erikson once led a settlement of his own and where my Administration has now secured Greenland’s future as a bastion for U.S. security and transatlantic defense.

Last month, I entered into a historic agreement with Denmark and Greenland that gives the United States permanent control over security in Greenland, guaranteeing our ability to safeguard America and our allies for all time. In concluding this agreement, I did what no President in the last 100 years was willing to do—I permanently recognized Greenland as an essential national security partner and made the Arctic a pillar of American strength once again. For centuries to come, Americans will be safer, our Arctic frontier will be stronger, and our bond with the Nordic peoples will be closer than ever before.

As we reflect on the enduring legacy of Leif Erikson, we recognize his rightful place in our glorious American story, we honor the millions of Nordic Americans whose contributions have shaped the life of our Nation, and we commit to carrying the spirit of his marvelous discovery boldly into America’s next chapter of exploration, friendship, and greatness.