Greenland and Minnesota
When President Donald Trump said in 2019 that he wanted to buy Greenland, a Danish territory, everyone assumed he was joking. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea “absurd,” and politicians sarcastically asked whether it was an “April Fool’s Day joke.” Such reactions were understandable, given the absurd idea of purchasing a sovereign nation.
The United States has a history of buying land. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the territory of Louisiana from France. In 1867, the U.S. government purchased Alaska from Russia and in 1917, it bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million. Greenland, too, has long been coveted by the United States. In 1946, President Harry Truman sought to buy Greenland from Denmark for $100 million, but the offer was rejected. Trump, who has shown interest in Greenland before, pushed for its purchase immediately after winning the 2024 presidential election.
The reason for this is easy to guess. Greenland is the largest island in the world. Located within the Arctic Circle, 85% of its land is covered in ice, but vast reserves of oil and minerals lie beneath. Taking into consideration the potential for development after the ice melts from global warming, the land is full of abundant opportunity. A newly developed Arctic shipping route will further increase Greenland’s value.
Trump told The New York Times on Jan. 8, “I don’t need international law.” For Denmark and Greenland, Trump’s remarks are chilling. Isn’t this tantamount to saying that Trump will acquire Greenland through any means necessary?
The world has been in turmoil since Trump took office. Just over a year into his presidency, he has pushed his “America First” policy to the extreme, and the United States we knew is becoming unrecognizable. By invading Venezuela and withdrawing from 66 international bodies, Trump’s United States is turning the international community into a jungle, where the strong prey on the weak. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, where George Floyd, a Black man, died in 2020 after being suffocated by a white police officer, a woman was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, sparking nationwide outrage.
Because of Trump, situations once dismissed as “unthinkable” may now be only the beginning. The international community is alarmed by Trump’s reckless behavior, which defies both common sense and imagination. The world must share its wisdom on how to deal with Trump’s America.
The United States has a history of buying land. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the territory of Louisiana from France. In 1867, the U.S. government purchased Alaska from Russia and in 1917, it bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million. Greenland, too, has long been coveted by the United States. In 1946, President Harry Truman sought to buy Greenland from Denmark for $100 million, but the offer was rejected. Trump, who has shown interest in Greenland before, pushed for its purchase immediately after winning the 2024 presidential election.
The reason for this is easy to guess. Greenland is the largest island in the world. Located within the Arctic Circle, 85% of its land is covered in ice, but vast reserves of oil and minerals lie beneath. Taking into consideration the potential for development after the ice melts from global warming, the land is full of abundant opportunity. A newly developed Arctic shipping route will further increase Greenland’s value.
Trump told The New York Times on Jan. 8, “I don’t need international law.” For Denmark and Greenland, Trump’s remarks are chilling. Isn’t this tantamount to saying that Trump will acquire Greenland through any means necessary?
The world has been in turmoil since Trump took office. Just over a year into his presidency, he has pushed his “America First” policy to the extreme, and the United States we knew is becoming unrecognizable. By invading Venezuela and withdrawing from 66 international bodies, Trump’s United States is turning the international community into a jungle, where the strong prey on the weak. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, where George Floyd, a Black man, died in 2020 after being suffocated by a white police officer, a woman was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, sparking nationwide outrage.
Because of Trump, situations once dismissed as “unthinkable” may now be only the beginning. The international community is alarmed by Trump’s reckless behavior, which defies both common sense and imagination. The world must share its wisdom on how to deal with Trump’s America.
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