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 feels that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.

Trump made the comments in a speech announcing PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as his pick for US ambassador to Denmark. Greenland is a self-governing area in Denmark.

Why it matters

Trump floated the idea of ​​the US buying Greenland in 2019 during his first term in office.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen then rejected the proposal as “absurd”.

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

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2019 that Trump considered trying to acquire Greenland for its natural resources and give him a “legacy akin to President Dwight Eisenhower’s admission of Alaska to the United States as a state.”

What to know

The USA has previously made inquiries about buying Greenland. In 1867, a State Department report said the island’s location and natural resources would make it an ideal occupation.

President Harry Truman offered to buy 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 Washington Post.

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

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

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

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

The Panama Canal was handed over from the United States to the Central American country in 1999 following a treaty signed in 1979.

What people say

President-elect Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “As co-founder of PayPal and venture capital fund, Founders Fund, Ken turned American innovation and technology leadership into global success stories, and that experience will be invaluable in representing us abroad. For national security and Freedom around the world , the United States feels that ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

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

The Republicans against Trump group broadcast on X: “Donald Trump suggested taking ownership of Greenland when he announced Ken Howery as his pick for US ambassador to Denmark. Trump isn’t even in office yet and we’re already becoming the laughing stock of the world.”

What’s next

Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet issued an official statement on Trump’s proposal that the US should control Greenland.