Donald Trump proves he knows nothing about history, claims American boats were in Greenland before U.S. even existed

Donald Trump isn’t very smart. This isn’t exactly new information but it’s fun to point it out any chance we get. Anyway, the president’s latest brainless comments show just how out of touch with history and reality he really is.

Trump has recently turned his attention back to Greenland, making threats to annex the country which is actually a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Of course, this fact hasn’t deterred the president in the slightest as he claimed Greenland was somehow necessary for national security.

Donald Trump claims the US had ships in Greenland

In a wildly inaccurate statement on the subject Trump touched on the history of Greenland, admitting that “Denmark was there 300 years ago or something with a boat.” However, he goes on to claim that “we,” meaning America, “were there with boats too I’m sure.” 

He may be sure but that doesn’t make him right. As the fact-check underneath the post on X points out, the first Danish ship to arrive in Greenland was there before the U.S. even existed as a country itself. Donald Trump’s claim isn’t just wrong, it’s plain stupid.

A history lesson

For those unaware, Denmark had colonies across Greenland as far back as the early 1700s when Dano-Norwegian ships were sent to establish sovereignty over the land. Denmark took full control of the colonies in 1814 and the country remained a colony of Denmark until 1953 when its colonial status was ended and it was fully integrated into the Kingdom of Denmark.

Denmark was there some 50 years before the U.S. became a country and yet Trump somehow thinks he has a right to just take it. Unfortunately the truth doesn’t matter to Trump and his supporters. He’s been spouting fake news for years and been getting away with it. Even if America had somehow had a boat on the shores of Greenland prior to 1721, what makes him think he has a right to overrule the agreement between two countries that he isn’t even the leader of.

As expected, plenty of Trump’s loyal followers have bought his rhetoric hook, line, and sinker, doubling down on their glorious leader’s threats that the U.S. would take Greenland by force if necessary. Another claimed America had no choice due to the country’s “strategic position” making it a “non-negotiable priority for U.S. security.” 

Of course, none of these people have accounted for what the people of Greenland actually want and it’s unlikely they even care. Anything outside of their America-centric world doesn’t matter apparently.