Parody as Political Praxis: The Semiotics of the ‘Make America Go Away’ Cap in the Greenland-Denmark-US Diplomatic Crisis
Abstract
This paper examines the emergence and function of the ‘Make America Go Away’ red cap as a symbol of popular resistance during the 2026 diplomatic standoff between the United States, Denmark, and Greenland. Following United States President Donald Trump’s renewed and aggressive overtures to purchase the strategically vital self-governing territory of Greenland, including threats of military force, a seemingly trivial commercial item—a parody baseball cap—was rapidly co-opted as a central signifier of dissent. Drawing upon theoretical frameworks from semiotics, social movement theory, and political symbolism, this study analyzes the cap’s journey from a niche product in a Copenhagen store to a ubiquitous emblem of transnational solidarity. It argues that the cap’s power derives from its semiotic subversion of the ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) iconography, its role in framing the geopolitical conflict as an issue of national identity and sovereignty, and its function as a low-cost, highly visible tool for constructing collective identity. The case study demonstrates how parody and visual culture can serve as potent forms of political praxis in the digital age, allowing citizens to articulate complex narratives of defiance and unity in the face of great power pressure.
- Introduction: A New Arctic Crisis and an Old Symbol Reimagined
In January 2026, the long-standing, often complex relationship between the United States, Denmark, and Greenland was thrust into a state of acute crisis. The pronouncements from U.S. President Donald Trump, expressing a desire to purchase Greenland and refusing to rule out the use of force to achieve this end, represented a direct challenge to established international law, post-war norms of sovereignty, and the cohesion of the NATO alliance. While governments engaged in formal diplomatic protest, a different, more grassroots form of resistance materialized on the streets of Copenhagen and Nuuk.
The symbol of this resistance was a simple red baseball cap, a direct visual parody of the MAGA cap worn by Trump’s supporters. Emblazoned with slogans like “Make America Go Away,” “Already Great,” and the Danish pun “Nu det Nuuk,” this headwear quickly transcended its commercial origins to become the uniform of a popular movement. This paper investigates how and why this object became so potent. It posits that the ‘Make America Go Away’ cap is not merely a clever piece of political merchandise but a sophisticated semiotic device that articulates resistance, frames a complex geopolitical issue in accessible terms, and forges a transnational identity between Danes and Greenlanders. By analyzing its specific slogans, its visual appropriation of a powerful symbol, and its role in public protest, this paper explores the intersection of fashion, parody, and political action in the 21st century.
- Theoretical Framework: Symbols, Movements, and Subversion
To understand the cap’s significance, this study employs a multi-disciplinary theoretical framework.
Firstly, semiotics, as theorized by Ferdinand de Saussure and Roland Barthes, provides the tools to deconstruct the cap as a sign. Saussure’s model of the signifier (the form, i.e., the red cap with text) and the signified (the concept it represents) is essential. Barthes’ concept of mythology is further critical, as it explains how cultural signs become naturalized carriers of ideological meaning. The MAGA cap, in this sense, is a mythologized sign of American populist nationalism. The ‘Make America Go Away’ cap functions by creating a new sign system that directly engages with and subverts the original.
Secondly, social movement theory offers insights into the cap’s function within a contentious political context. The work of scholars like Charles Tilly, Sidney Tarrow, and Doug McAdam highlights three core concepts relevant here:
Political Opportunity Structures: President Trump’s hostile rhetoric created a sudden and alarming opportunity for mobilization that had not existed previously, making the issue of Greenland’s sovereignty salient to the public.
Framing Processes: Social movements must frame their grievances in a way that resonates. The cap provides a concise and powerful frame: this is not a real estate negotiation, but an existential threat to national identity and dignity (“Greenland is not for sale”).
Repertoires of Contention: These are the standard forms of protest available to a movement. Wearing a cap is a contemporary, low-risk, highly visible, and easily replicable repertoire, perfectly suited for viral dissemination in the digital age.
Finally, the concept of parody as subversion is central. As a form of mimicry, parody is not mere mockery; it is a form of deconstruction that exposes the contradictions and pretensions of its target (Hutcheon, 1985). By appropriating the aesthetic vocabulary of Trumpism, the protest caps hijack its authority and turn it against itself, creating a powerful rhetorical dissonance.
- The Genesis of a Symbol: From Local Store to Global Stage
The origin narrative of the protest cap is illustrative of how modern political symbols can emerge from the periphery. As reported by Reuters, the caps were initially designed by the owner of a Copenhagen clothing store, Jesper Rabe Tonnesen, and had “languished unsold for months” (Reuters, 2026). This period of commercial irrelevance underscores their initial status as a simple, albeit witty, design.
The catalyst for their transformation was the political shockwave from Washington. Tonnesen’s intentional design choices are key to understanding their subsequent resonance. His slogan, “Nu det Nuuk,” is a masterclass in localized framing. The pun, sounding like the common Danish phrase “Nu det nok” (“Now is enough”), directly substitutes the word for Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. This simple wordplay achieves multiple goals: it grounds a global geopolitical conflict in a specific, identifiable place; it communicates a clear message of exhausted defiance; and it creates a sense of insider understanding for Danish and Greenlandic speakers, strengthening the in-group identity of the movement.
The distribution of 300 caps by cargo bike to a protest on January 17, 2026, marks the transition from object to symbol. As Tonnesen noted, “People have an urge to get out there with a message. We’ve just had enough, and we’re fed up, sad and tired” (Reuters, 2026). The cap became the vessel for this collective emotional state, a wearable placard for a sentiment that could not be contained in formal diplomatic notes.
- Semiotic Subversion: Deconstructing the MAGA Iconography
The power of the ‘Make America Go Away’ cap is fundamentally derived from its visual and textual opposition to the MAGA cap.
Feature ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) Cap ‘Make America Go Away’ Cap
Signifier Red cap, white, blocky sans-serif text. Red cap, white, blocky sans-serif text.
Signified American nationalism, economic revitalization, nostalgia, Trumpism. Anti-imperialism, sovereignty, resistance, transnational solidarity.
Direction Insular, inward-looking: “America First.” Outward-facing, rejecting: “America Go Away.”
Premise America is broken and needs to be fixed. Denmark/Greenland are fine and need to be left alone.
The first and most crucial element is the retention of the original’s visual grammar—the red baseball cap. This ensures that the parody is immediately recognizable. It is a form of visual quoting that forces the viewer to confront the two contradictory messages simultaneously. The message is not just “we disagree,” but “we speak your visual language to tell you to leave.”
The slogan “Already Great” is perhaps the most direct philosophical rebuttal to the MAGA premise. While MAGA implies a national failure that must be remedied, “Already Great” asserts self-sufficiency, satisfaction, and a rejection of external interference. It reframes the conflict from one where America is the potential savior or buyer to one where it is an unwelcome and disruptive force.
- Forging Transnational Solidarity on the Streets of Copenhagen and Nuuk
The cap’s final function, and one visible in the large-scale protests, was its role as a unifying marker of collective identity. As tens of thousands gathered in Copenhagen and Nuuk, the sea of red caps created a powerful visual representation of a unified body politic. In this context, the cap served several purposes:
Visible Commitment: It allowed individuals to publicly align themselves with the cause, lowering the barrier to participation for those unable to engage in vocal or physical protest.
Community Building: The cap acted as a uniform, creating a sense of shared purpose among strangers. It transformed a disparate crowd into a cohesive movement.
Bridging the Metropole and the Territory: The protests and the symbol transcended the Denmark-Greenland relationship. Worn in Copenhagen, the cap was a symbol of Danish solidarity with Greenlandic autonomy. Worn in Nuuk, it was a symbol of appreciation for that solidarity and a assertion of Greenlandic identity. It solidified a “we” that stood against a perceived “them.”
The widespread adoption of the cap signifies that the issue was not perceived as a niche foreign policy problem but as an attack on a shared national identity. The cap, therefore, was a key tool in the framing process that mobilized popular opinion and made the crisis personal for thousands of citizens.
- Conclusion: The Enduring Power of Material Symbols
The ‘Make America Go Away’ red cap stands as a compelling case study in 21st-century political resistance. It demonstrates that in an era saturated with digital media, simple, material objects retain immense semiotic power. What began as a tongue-in-cheek commercial product was elevated by circumstance into a sophisticated tool of political communication and mobilization.
Through its successful subversion of the MAGA iconography, its clever and localized framing, and its role as a unifying symbol of protest, the cap achieved what official statements alone could not. It articulated the raw emotion of a populace that was, in the words of its creator, “fed up, sad and tired.” It projected a clear and unambiguous message of sovereignty to a global audience. The saga of the Danish protest cap confirms that parody is not just a form of humour but a potent strategy of deconstruction and defiance. It shows that when faced with outsized geopolitical pressure, citizens can harness the language of their opposition to create a powerful and resonant counter-narrative, stitching together national identity and transnational solidarity one red cap at a time.
References
Barthes, R. (1972). Mythologies. (A. Lavers, Trans.). Hill and Wang.
Hutcheon, L. (1985). A Theory of Parody: The Teachings of Twentieth-Century Art Forms. Methuen.
McAdam, D., Tarrow, S., & Tilly, C. (2001). Dynamics of Contention. Cambridge University Press.
Reuters. (2026, January 20). ‘Make America Go Away’ red caps become symbol of defiance in Greenland stand-off. Straits Times.
Saussure, F. de. (2011). Course in General Linguistics. (W. Baskin, Trans.). Columbia University Press.
Tilly, C. (2004). Social Movements, 1768-2004: From Parochialism to Globalism. Paradigm Publishers.
Tarrow, S. (2011). Power in Movement: Social Movements and Contentious Politics. Cambridge University Press.