Red baseball caps mocking Donald Trump’s signature MAGA headgear are fast turning into a visual protest in Denmark and Greenland, as pushback grows against the US president’s remarks about taking control of the icy territory.
The hats, stamped with the slogan “Make America Go Away,” flip Trump’s familiar campaign line and have been widely shared on social media while also appearing at street demonstrations. Over the weekend, protesters braved subzero temperatures in Copenhagen, many wearing the caps as a pointed symbol of resistance.
Variations of the slogan have surfaced online as well, underscoring how the parody has resonated beyond a single rally and become part of a broader political statement.
The backlash has also drawn in other European capitals. Governments across the continent have publicly lined up behind Denmark and Greenland, stressing the importance of protecting the Arctic and cautioning that Trump’s comments about Greenland risk destabilizing western security at a time of heightened global tension.
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The red caps have an unlikely origin story. They were designed by Jesper Rabe Tonnesen, who runs a vintage clothing store in Copenhagen. When he first produced them in 2024, they barely attracted attention and failed to take off. That changed after the Trump administration sharply intensified its rhetoric around Greenland. Since then, the hats have resurfaced in force, turning up at protests and across social media feeds.
Tonnesen said the turning point came when the issue began to feel uncomfortably real. “When a delegation from America went up to Greenland, we started to realise this probably wasn’t a joke – it’s not reality TV, it’s actually reality,” he said. That moment pushed him to act. “So I said, ‘OK, what can I do?’ Can I communicate in a funny way with a good message and unite the Danes to show that Danish people support the people of Greenland?”
What followed surprised even him. Demand jumped almost overnight, moving from a slow trickle to a complete sellout within a single weekend. Tonnesen said he has since placed an order for “several thousand” more caps to keep up with the sudden surge.
Tonnesen’s first design leaned heavily on wordplay. The original caps carried the phrase “Nu det NUUK!”, a riff on the Danish saying “Nu det nok,” which translates to “Now it’s enough,” with Nuuk, Greenland’s small capital, swapped in for emphasis.
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Several of those caps appeared at a rally on Saturday, where demonstrators waved red and white Danish flags alongside Greenlandic ones and held up hand-painted placards poking fun at US claims over the territory. “No Means No,” read one sign. Another echoed the satirical tone of the protest, declaring, “Make America Smart Again.”
For many at the protest, the caps were a personal statement as much as a political one. “I want to show my support to Greenland and also show that I don’t like the president of the United States,” said Copenhagen resident Lars Hermansen, adjusting one of the red hats.
Others echoed that mix of humor and seriousness. Kristian Boye, another protester wearing a cap, said the demonstration outside Copenhagen city hall managed to keep a playful edge while making its point clear. “I’m here to support the Greenlanders, who are going through a very hard time right now,” he said. “They are being threatened with having their country invaded. I think it’s totally unacceptable.”