A viral video claims Danish officials played Judy Collins’ “Send in the Clowns” as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived for a Greenland signing ceremony, sparking claims of Danish “trolling”. Our checks of separate livestreams confirm the song really played and the video was not manipulated. Denmark has denied choosing the music, while the UN says it did not organise the event. Whilst the song was real, there is no evidence Denmark selected it deliberately. Vedika Bahl fact-checks.
On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the United States, Denmark and Greenland signed a deal Tuesday to expand Washington’s military presence in the Arctic territory. The agreement came after months of diplomatic tensions over Greenland, with Denmark also seeking to reaffirm its control over the island.
But an unusual song played before the signing has sparked a wave of speculation online.
A video circulating widely on social media claims Danish officials deliberately played Judy Collins’ version of the classic Broadway song “Send in the Clowns” as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived.
The clip has amassed more than a million views in a single post on X, with the footage also widely shared on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Instagram.
The song’s lyrics include the line: “Where are the clowns? Send in the clowns. Don't bother, they're here.”
Social media users quickly interpreted the music as a deliberate dig at the US delegation, with some praising Denmark for what they described as “epic trolling”. Others questioned whether the footage was genuine, while some went further, sharing AI-generated images depicting members of the US delegation as clowns.
The speculation raised a key question: did the song actually play at the ceremony, and if so, was it deliberately chosen by Denmark?
We checked footage from multiple livestreams of the event.
The original viral video carries the watermark of US-based outlet MAGNO News. In its Facebook livestream, just before the 11-minute mark, Rubio and other delegates can be seen entering as “Send in the Clowns” plays in the background. The Guardian’s livestream, filmed from a different angle, also captures the same song playing as the delegates arrive.
The evidence therefore confirms that the song really was played. There is also no indication that the viral footage was manipulated, but there's also no evidence that Denmark selected it.
Whilst the song played as Rubio entered, along with him entered the Ministers for Denmark and Greenland. If this was an attempt to "troll" a particular nation or send a message, it didn't go as intended as all countries representatives entered together.
A spokesperson for Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Denmark was “not involved in selecting the music for the signing”.
Fact-checking outlet Lead Stories also contacted the United Nations. The spokesperson for the UN secretary-general directed the outlet to the US mission, saying it had not organised the event.
It's possible the song was played by coincidence or accident, rather than as a deliberate message to any one country.
So while “Send in the Clowns” was genuinely playing before the Greenland deal signing began, the claim that Denmark deliberately selected it to mock the US delegation remains unsubstantiated.
.png?w=600)
