House Bill H.R.1161 was introduced on Feb. 10 this year, authorizing President Donald Trump to “enter into negotiations to acquire Greenland.” But — Trump being Trump — he also wants to rename the autonomous Danish territory, and the name he’s proposed is just as unhinged as the idea to buy Greenland in the first place.
That’s right; according to H.R. 1181, Trump wants to “rename Greenland as ‘Red, White, and Blueland’.” Through an executive order, Trump already renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, and Google Maps — for one — has complied. With that in mind, what at first seemed like one of Trump’s ludicrous ideas — to buy Greenland — could become a reality.
Since he’s been back in office, Trump has also suggested “annexing” Canada, which sounds like a joke, but according to outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on a hot mic, Trump’s talk “about absorbing us as a country is a very real thing.” So, when it comes to Trump’s many out-there foreign policy ideas, as scary as that seems, it might be time to start taking them seriously.
Why does Trump want Greenland?
Thousands of Danish citizens are launching an effort to buy California as a response to Trump’s attempt to take Greenland.
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) February 11, 2025
They say they will provide Californians with “rule of law, universal health care, fact-based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries.” pic.twitter.com/eQOjsOyJEh
House Bill H.R.1161 was introduced Tuesday by Georgia Republican Representative Earl L. “Buddy” Carter for the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Natural Resources to review, as per the legislative process, so to be clear, there’s a long way to go before anyone votes on the idea of making Greenland the 51st state. Those two committees, however, do offer insight into what Trump is thinking by suggesting the Greenland take over, never mind that Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede said, “We are not for sale and will never be for sale.”
According to the Independent, however, Russia and China have shown interest in the world’s largest island, and it’s also packed with natural resources, which — as the planet warms and Greenland’s landscape melts — could only become easier to access.
For these reasons, then President-elect Trump wrote on Truth Social before returning to office, “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
How much would Greenland cost?
Hi Mr. Carter,
— Orla Joelsen (@OJoelsen) February 11, 2025
I am Greenlandic citizen,
It will never happen.
Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland 🇬🇱 https://t.co/oalyrtigaD pic.twitter.com/E3WtphkI3w
So, should H.R. 1161 make it out of committee, and if the House and the Senate both vote to approve it, how much would Greenland cost? Estimates vary, but The New York Times says between $12.5 billion and $77 billion, and according to The Washington Post, up to $1.7 trillion. Greenland is about three times the size of Texas, and nearly 60,000 people live on the island — has anyone thought to ask their opinion?
This also isn’t the first time Trump or any American president has floated the idea: Trump mentioned it in his first term, President Andrew Johnson explored the purchase in the 1860s, and President Truman offered $100 million when World War II ended. For now, the Greenland PM Egede has agreed to cooperate with the United States on defense and mining, but five days after Trump took office, he remained undeterred: Greenland will become part of the U.S. in his second term.
According to the BBC, Trump said, with trademark clarity, “I don’t really know what claim Denmark has to it, but it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn’t allow that to happen because it’s for the protection of the free world.” He added, “I think Greenland we’ll get because it has to do with freedom of the world. It has nothing to do with the United States other than that we’re the one that can provide the freedom. They can’t.”
Published: Feb 11, 2025 03:23 pm