Donald Trump says buying Greenland is “absolute necessity”

What’s New

Donald Trump has said that owning and controlling Greenland is an “absolute necessity” for the United States.

“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.

Trump made the comments in a post announcing PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as his choice for U.S. ambassador to Denmark. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Why It Matters

Trump floated the idea of the U.S. purchasing Greenland in 2019 during his first term in office.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen dismissed the suggestion at the time as “absurd.”

Greenland is the world’s largest non-continental island and is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2019 that Trump was considering trying to acquire Greenland because of its natural resources and to give him a “legacy akin to President Dwight Eisenhower’s admission of Alaska into the U.S. as a state.”

What to Know

The U.S. has previously made enquiries about buying Greenland. In 1867, a report from the State Department said that the island’s location and natural resources would make it an ideal acquisition.

President Harry Truman offered to purchase Greenland from Denmark in 1946 for $100 million in gold.

In the 1970s, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller also discussed buying Greenland for its mineral resources, reported The Washington Post.

Trump canceled a planned state visit to Denmark in 2019 after the country’s prime minister rejected his suggestion that Greenland could be purchased.

It comes as Trump has also said that the U.S. could demand the return of the Panama Canal if the Central American country fails to reduce the fees it charges to American ships.

The Republican described Panama’s control of the key trading route as a “complete ‘rip-off'” for the U.S. on Truth Social.

Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino dismissed Trump’s suggestion. “Every square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent zones is part of Panama, and it will continue to be,” Mulino said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter.

The Panama Canal was handed from the U.S. to the Central American country in 1999 following a treaty signed in 1979.

What People are Saying

President-elect Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “As a Co-Founder of PayPal and venture capital fund, Founders Fund, Ken turned American Innovation and Tech leadership into Global success stories, and that experience will be invaluable in representing us abroad. For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

Ken Howery wrote in a statement on X: “I know first-hand the power of diplomacy to advance American interests and strengthen alliances, and I am grateful for the opportunity to return to Europe to promote the President’s agenda. I look forward to working with the dedicated teams at U.S. Embassy Copenhagen and U.S. Consulate Nuuk in Greenland to deepen the bonds between our countries.”

The Republicans Against Trump group posted on X: “Donald Trump suggested taking ownership of Greenland as he announced Ken Howery as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Denmark. Trump isn’t even in office yet, and we’re already becoming the laughingstock of the world.”

What’s Next

Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet made an official statement on Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. should control Greenland.