According to The Wall Street Journal, President Donald Trump has “repeatedly expressed interest” in the United States purchasing Greenland.
What are the details?
The Journal did not name its sources, but reported that the president has asked advisers numerous times about the prospect of such a deal. Considering the United States has offered to purchase the self-ruling Danish territory from Denmark twice in the past, the idea may not be far-fetched.
Greenland is the world’s largest island, rich in natural resources, and technically considered part of North America. The Week noted that the country “is a key location for American national security interests.” Senior political reporter for The Washington Post, Aaron Blake, pointed out that if the U.S. did obtain Greenland, “we’d have Russia surrounded from the east and the north.”
According to The Hill, Greenland has a population of roughly 56,000, and while it is mostly self-governed, “foreign and security policy is handled by Copenhagen.”
No word yet on whether the island is up for sale, and the White House did not immediately comment on the Journal’s report.
Anything else?
The last time the U.S. purchased Danish territory was in 1917 during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson, when America paid Denmark $25 million for the Danish West Indies, now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands.
