Trump Drops a Flurry of Nominees to Head FDA, OMB, CDC, and HUD
We Might Have a Problem With Trump's Labor Secretary Nominee
The Press Delivers a Fake News Trump Health Crisis, and the Bad Week...
Wisdom From the Founders: Madison and 'Gradual and Silent Encroachments'
CFPB Director Exemplifies the Worst of Washington Hypocrisy
One of the First Things Elon Musk, Vivek Plan to Cut Under DOGE
The Media Turns Its Attention to Other Trump Picks Now That Gaetz Is...
Trump Victory: From Neocons to Americons
It’s Time to Make Healthcare Great Again
Deportation Is Necessary to Undo Harm Done at the Border
Do You Know Where the Migrant Children Are? Why States Can't Wait for...
Biden’s Union-Based Concerns Undercut U.S. Security and Jeopardize Steel Production
Joy Reid Spews Hate Toward Trump Supporters Once Again
America's National Debt Just Hit a New Record
The View Forced to Read Three Legal Notes Within Minutes of One Another...
Tipsheet

Trump Is Reportedly Considering Buying the Largest Island In the World

AP Photo/David Goldman

President Trump has reportedly raised an interest in purchasing the world’s largest island—Greenland.

The autonomous Danish territory, which is mostly covered in ice, is home to roughly 56,000 people.

Advertisement

The idea to purchase the land came up during a roundtable last spring when someone told him Denmark was in financial trouble over spending approximately 60 percent of its annual budget on subsidies to the island.

Since then, he’s discussed the possibility with advisers and asked his White House counsel to explore the matter further. Proponents of the idea have noted Greenland’s abundant natural resources and geopolitical significance, while critics have dismissed the possibility of purchasing it altogether, The Wall Street Journal reports.

U.S. officials view Greenland as important to American national-security interests. A decades-old defense treaty between Denmark and the U.S. gives the U.S. military virtually unlimited rights in Greenland at America’s northernmost base, Thule Air Base. Located 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle, it includes a radar station that is part of a U.S. ballistic missile early-warning system. The base is also used by the U.S. Air Force Space Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

The U.S. has sought to derail Chinese efforts to gain an economic foothold in Greenland. The Pentagon worked successfully in 2018 to block China from financing three airports on the island.

People outside the White House have described purchasing Greenland as an Alaska-type acquisition for Mr. Trump’s legacy, advisers said. The few current and former White House officials who had heard of the notion described it with a mix of anticipation and apprehension, since it remains unknown how far the president might push the idea. (WSJ)

Advertisement

According to the Journal, the U.S. has twice failed in efforts to buy Greenland—the most recent attempt was in 1946 when President Truman offered to purchase it from Denmark for $100 million to no avail. Prior to that, in 1867, the State Department explored buying both Greenland and Iceland.

Trump is scheduled to visit Denmark next month in a trip unrelated to this matter. 

According to the White House, the trip to Denmark follows a stop in Poland where the president and first lady will attend 80th anniversary commemorations of the start of World War II. Trump will then meet with the Queen of Denmark to participate in bilateral meetings.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Recommended

Trending on Townhall Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement