Donald Trump Reportedly Wants To Buy Greenland
Donald Trump has reportedly discussed the idea of buying Greenland with his advisors. According to The Wall Street Journal, some of these advisors have come forward to state that the president seems fascinated with the prospect of purchasing the autonomous country which is currently a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The WSJ reports that the idea has been discussed at dinners and in casual conversations.
The article also notes that the process for making the idea a reality is unclear at this point. Greenland already has a government and a prime minister whose name is Kim Kielsen. However, some of the president’s advisors have informed him that it would be a good economic move. But others have said that it’s just something that Trump is intrigued by at the moment.
One of the WSJ’s sources said that the idea seems to appeal to the president because it would prove that he’s powerful enough to buy a country. Greenland, the largest island in the world, is also rich in natural resources like coal, iron ore, zinc, and possibly oil and natural gas, according to the CIA World Factbook.
But the advisor also noted that Trump’s probably not that serious about it because he hasn’t mentioned it at a campaign rally as yet.
There’s no word yet on whether any officials from Greenland have commented on the story. But the WSJ article has lit up social media, causing Greenland to trend on Twitter on Thursday.
Some commenters opined that buying another country shouldn’t be on Trump’s mind since the United States has several problems that need to be addressed.
Others voiced support for the idea and echoed the sentiment that it would make economic sense for the U.S.
Although buying a large ice-capped island sounds like a bizarre policy idea, the United States has tried to acquire Greenland before. The Associated Press reports that the government offered Denmark $100 million in gold for it. Denmark turned down the offer.
The U.S. also proposed to swap parts of Alaska with areas of Greenland that the government saw as important national security concerns. The deal would have allowed Denmark to claim any oil found in the parts of Greenland they owned, but they would have had to sell it back to the United States.
Before the news about Trump’s interest in purchasing the country, Greenland had been in the headlines for a much direr reason. As Business Insider reports, scientists have said that its glaciers have been melting at a rate that they’d projected would happen in the “worst-case scenario.” Greenland’s ice sheet shed 55 billion tonnes of water in five days this summer.
JUST IN: Trump has asked aides about possibility of US acquiring Greenland: report https://t.co/hW5Zh8KlLB pic.twitter.com/OIsHXfwWgk
— The Hill (@thehill) August 15, 2019
