The incoming Trump administration has reinvoked chatter about the possibility of the United States purchasing Greenland, an idea floated during the president-elect’s first term in office.
In his first term, Trump tweeted an image of coastal Greenland with an edited, glossy Trump tower building superimposed on the landscape. It was captioned, “I promise not to do this to Greenland!”
In August 2019, President Trump confirmed to reporters that he was interested in purchasing Greenland, an idea that raised both curiosity and debate.
“Denmark essentially owns it,” Trump said. “We’re very good allies with Denmark, we protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world. So the concept came up and I said, ‘Certainly I’d be.’ Strategically it’s interesting and we’d be interested but we’ll talk to them a little bit. It’s not No. 1 on the burner, I can tell you that.”
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a House Republicans Conference meeting at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Allison Robbert-Pool/Getty Images)
The Wall Street Journal first reported Trump’s interest, citing sources who said he had mentioned the idea with “varying degrees of seriousness.”
The idea was shelved after Joe Biden took office in 2021, but has resurfaced online in the wake of Trump’s victory earlier this month.
Republican Congressman Mike Collins of Georgia posted what appears to be an electoral map featuring Greenland on November 7, with the territory voting GOP. It was captioned, “Project 2029.”
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Since then, a member of parliament in Denmark has pushed back on the idea of the United States purchasing Greenland as an American territory. According to a post from Rasmus Jarlov, the Danish parliament does not intend to offer the territory to anyone, especially the United States.
“Greenlandic independence requires approval by the Danish parliament[sic] and a change of our constitution,” wrote Jarlov. “I can guarantee you that there is no way we would approve indepence[sic] so that you could buy Greenland. Nice fantasy but forget it.”
This is far from the first time that the United States has considered purchasing the strategically beneficial Arctic landmass.
After World War II, President Harry Truman offered Denmark $100 million for it in 1946, but Denmark refused.
The idea actually came up earlier in 1945, when Senator Owen Brewster, R-Maine, called Greenland a “military necessity” supported by American military leaders.
Houses on the coastline in Nuuk, Greenland. (Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
In 1946, a State Department official noted that the Joint Chiefs of Staff believed the U.S. should aim to purchase the territory. That December, Secretary of State James Byrnes even made an offer directly to Denmark’s Foreign Minister Gustav Rasmussen, suggesting a sale might be the simplest solution.
American interest in Greenland goes back even further. In 1867, the State Department explored buying both Greenland and Iceland, recognizing their strategic importance.
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If Denmark hypothetically agrees to sell Greenland to the United States, it would be the largest expansion of American territory in history, topping 1803’s Louisiana Purchase.