During his first term in the White House, in August 2019, Donald Trump repeatedly mentioned the idea of ​​the US buying Greenland from Denmark. Trump even said that the Danish government wanted to do the same. This sparked diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

This is the second time Mr. Trump has mentioned this issue after nominating businessman Ken Howery as the US ambassador to Denmark.

Mr. Trump believes that the United States' ownership and control of Greenland is absolutely necessary for national security and freedom around the world. Ken Howery will do a great job representing the interests of the United States.

Ken Howery served as US ambassador to Sweden during the last two years of Mr Trump's first term as president and co-founded the venture capital firm Founders Fund, which invests in technology companies including SpaceX, Facebook and Airbnb.

In the past, the US had plans to buy Greenland. After World War II, the US President at that time, Harry Truman, offered to pay Denmark 100 million USD to buy it back, but the US was rejected.

So what does Greenland have that Mr. Trump has repeatedly mentioned owning this island?

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Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, the largest island in the world, with 80% of its area covered in ice. Photo: etrip4u

Rich in natural resources and important geopolitical location

In 2019, Mr. Trump considered buying the world's largest island, Greenland, a major real estate deal.

According to the Wall Street Journal, at that time, Mr. Trump said that “a lot of things could be done” and that owning Greenland “would be great” for the US from a strategic perspective.

Greenland is known as a very special island. Geographically, it is considered to belong to North America but geologically Greenland belongs to the Arctic. The island has a large area covered with snow but the snow is melting due to global warming and the area of ​​habitable land will increase accordingly.

Greenland is rich in valuable resources such as minerals, rare earths, and the purest freshwater and ice in the world. It is also a popular adventure tourism destination. But more importantly, Greenland is strategically located on new shipping routes in the Arctic as the ice melts.

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On December 22, sharing on TruthSocial, President-elect Donald Trump wants the United States to own Greenland from Denmark "for national security and freedom for the world".

Greenland is becoming even more important to the US as the Arctic becomes a contested area that the US does not want to be left out of. Russia and China have long been working to build up their influence in the Arctic.

The US currently has Thule Air Base on the island of Greenland. This base houses a radar station that is part of the early warning system for ballistic missiles flying towards the US. The base is used by many important US defense units.

Greenland has a very strong autonomy within Denmark. And in theory, the islanders have the right to decide for themselves whether to sell the island or not. However, information from 2019 showed that the Greenlanders do not want to sell to any country. This is also something that Denmark has clearly expressed its position on.

Trump’s move is seen as a message to the Greenlanders that they can join the US at any time in the future, just like Puerto Rico. Given Greenland’s importance and America’s position as the number one economy, Washington can pour huge sums of money into developing the world’s largest island.

The United States has a long history of buying land to expand its borders. If successful, the purchase of Greenland would be a huge success for this president, who is a real estate billionaire.

The most recent purchase was in 1867 when the US purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The most famous US land purchase was Louisiana from France in 1803. This land accounts for nearly a quarter of the current US territory.

Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark and the world's largest island, with 80% of its area covered by ice. It boasts stunning natural scenery and a long-standing Inuit culture.

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