Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
‘Make America Go Away’ Caps Surge in Popularity as Trump Eyes Greenland
d8a347b41db1ddee634e2d67d08798c102ef09ac
By The New York Times
Published 1 hour ago on
January 20, 2026

Demonstrators gather at City Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2026 to protest President Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland. Many in the crowd are waving the flag of Greenland. (Hilary Swift/The New York Times)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Bright red baseball caps reading “Make America Go Away” have surged in popularity among Danes and Greenlanders, who have adopted them as a symbol of resistance to President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland.

The hats, which mock the “Make America Great Again” hats worn by Trump and his supporters, have become a conspicuous presence at recent protests, including demonstrations this weekend in Copenhagen and Nuuk, Greenland.

The Danish writing on the hats, “Nu det Nuuk,” uses “Nuuk,” Greenland’s capital to play on an expression that roughly means “enough is enough.”

A red baseball cap reading “Make America Go Away” is displayed at McKorman, Jesper Tonnesen’s vintage clothing store in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. The Danish writing on the hats, “Nu det Nuuk,” uses “Nuuk,” Greenland’s capital, to play on an expression that roughly means “enough is enough.” (Hilary Swift/The New York Times)
A red baseball cap reading “Make America Go Away” is displayed at McKorman, Jesper Tonnesen’s vintage clothing store in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. The Danish writing on the hats, “Nu det Nuuk,” uses “Nuuk,” Greenland’s capital, to play on an expression that roughly means “enough is enough.” (Hilary Swift/The New York Times)

The cap was designed last summer by Jesper Tonnesen, a Copenhagen vintage shop owner who was overwhelmed by global politics and the coarsening tone of international debate.

“I felt powerless,” he said. “I wanted to do something — even if it was small.”

At first, only a few of the hats sold in his shop. But last week, after an image of the hat began circulating online, demand skyrocketed. Within a matter of hours, Tonnesen’s stock had sold out, and orders outpaced what he could produce.

The hat resonates with people, Tonnesen said, because it allows them to register dissent without adopting overly confrontational language. Humor, he added, makes it possible to signal opposition while inviting conversation.

“You can laugh and still send a message,” he said. “It’s lightness in something very heavy.”

Tonnesen said he had also produced hats aimed at international audiences, including one bearing the slogan “Already Great.”

Trump, who this weekend linked his efforts to not winning the Nobel Peace Prize, doubled down Tuesday morning on his desire to acquire the island, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, as European leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Maya Tekeli and Jonathan Wolfe/Hilary Swift
c. 2026 The New York Times Company

RELATED TOPICS:

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend