Trump wants to buy Greenland

[KingScorpio]

Random information out of left field, but I don't think the White House has commented on it.

Trump is thinking about purchasing Greenland. He's been floating the idea with WH legal counsel, and different aides in the WH to see if this is something he can do. Unknown on if he is really seriousness about this, but it's something that has without a doubt been talked about.

Unknown on why: Past the fact that Greenland has a large amount of natural resources, but I can't see something like this actually coming to fruition. I'd love to see what people think about this.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-eyes-a-new-real-estate-purchase-greenland-11565904223

americans are ridiculous, why not install a puppet government and pay the corrupt head of state in gold or bitcoin which he then can take with him when he flees to the usa after he has stripped his people of their rights

[TopTort777]

Why instead of buying Greenland buy Michael Jacksons Neverland.

The pros are obvious:
- you dont need to buy visa to travel to Neverland
- yon can use US dollars (wont be losses while changing currency to Danish krone) there
- everyone 100% speaks English
- it is closer than Greenland.

[yoseph]

At first this maybe sounds like a joke or almost impossible thing to do, but when you think about it, it is great idea as United States did similar things before, buying territories from other countries.

In 1805 United States bought Lousiana for $15M from France

In 1867 United States bought Alaska for $7.2M from Russia

In 1917 United States bought Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 M

In 1946 Harry Truman tried buying Greenland, but that time Denmark didn't accept the offer.


So as we can see, this is perfectly reasonable and smart move by Trump, if he manages to pull this off he will be remembered as one of the most successful presidents in history.

The USA buying Alaska from the Russians is what i will call the best deal ever made in the entire Earth and maybe Trump sees somethig with Greenland which i don't but with his claim that the Island is costing Denmark around $700M in subsidies is something that may change the mind of the Danish government in selling the territory.

[SantiagoSegura]

At first this maybe sounds like a joke or almost impossible thing to do, but when you think about it, it is great idea as United States did similar things before, buying territories from other countries.

In 1805 United States bought Lousiana for $15M from France

In 1867 United States bought Alaska for $7.2M from Russia

In 1917 United States bought Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 M

In 1946 Harry Truman tried buying Greenland, but that time Denmark didn't accept the offer.


So as we can see, this is perfectly reasonable and smart move by Trump, if he manages to pull this off he will be remembered as one of the most successful presidents in history.

The USA buying Alaska from the Russians is what i will call the best deal ever made in the entire Earth and maybe Trump sees somethig with Greenland which i don't but with his claim that the Island is costing Denmark around $700M in subsidies is something that may change the mind of the Danish government in selling the territory.

And what can top buying Alaska? Buying Greenland!

We all know that history is repeating itself, so this is next logical move to ensure dominance in the decades to come.

[BADecker]

The trick is to make Greenland owners - whoever they are - to think that the money being paid is worth the paper it is printed on.

If Trump is going to buy Greenland, he had better do it now. The FED can crash at any moment, making Bitcoin or gold the new world money.

[Mometaskers]

I doubt it will happen but if does, it'll be a nice purchases. Someone already mentioned the strategic advantage of controlling Greenland on a warm Arctic but there's more to it. The warming climate will make it easier to extract hydrocarbons from the Arctic and guess what, if you have a shore there, you get rights to prospect. It's all 'bout that oil again y'all. 

As for the land, most of it is covered with glaciers so I don't know what to do with that but who knows, maybe the climate would change so drastically it all becomes farmable. The island's larger than Alaska.

[BADecker]

If Trump is a good enough President over here, Greenland owners might voluntarily sell Greenland to him when he gets out of office. And, being a billionaire, he just might be able to afford it. They might even like him so much that they will sell cheap.

[Carlton Banks]

interesting that this coincides with Danish banks offering negative interest rates on mortgages (which is pretty much guaranteed to cause the Danish Kroner to go the way of the Venezuelan bolivar, the Danish real estate market there will be on fire once enough property speculators discover this is happening)

[TheWolf666]

Next in his mind:
Buying Hong Kong... they need help!
Buying Taiwan...  they need help!
Buying Venezuela ... they need help!
Buying Cuba... they need help!

and Buying the WORLD.

That's the Trumpzilla syndrome!

[TECSHARE]

Next in his mind:
Buying Hong Kong... they need help!
Buying Taiwan...  they need help!
Buying Venezuela ... they need help!
Buying Cuba... they need help!

and Buying the WORLD.

That's the Trumpzilla syndrome!

To buy and sell some thing is by its nature a voluntary transaction. The USA would only buy Greenland if at least Denmark agreed to the terms. Obviously none of those other nations would agree to be bought at any price, even if they had enough value to be purchased to begin with. Impressive visual with the Trumpzilla and all though, too bad your argument is hollow.

[Jet Cash]

Thule air base is an important early warning base for the US. Maybe he is concerned  that with the waning popularity of the bellicose policies of Washington, the US will be chucked out in the near future.

[squatz1]

Next in his mind:
Buying Hong Kong... they need help!
Buying Taiwan...  they need help!
Buying Venezuela ... they need help!
Buying Cuba... they need help!

and Buying the WORLD.

That's the Trumpzilla syndrome!

To buy and sell some thing is by its nature a voluntary transaction. The USA would only buy Greenland if at least Denmark agreed to the terms. Obviously none of those other nations would agree to be bought at any price, even if they had enough value to be purchased to begin with. Impressive visual with the Trumpzilla and all though, too bad your argument is hollow.

Obviously this is the thing that people miss. Greenland is never going to be sold to the US -- even more so now, due to the fact that Denmark has just cancelled a meeting with President Trump -- which I assume was going to be regarding the topic in question.

Buying and selling land is a bit of an issue if there are people living there.

[TheCoinGrabber]

I don't know if he's serious but other powers are definitely going to try to sabotage this even if Denmark is willing to sell. It is actually a pretty good move though. The seas are warming and within a few decades we'd have an Arctic that is navigable even during winter.

Having bases in Greenland would be a good check against Russia, which would no longer be as restricted navy-wise like it is today (one reason for annexing Crimea is access to a warm sea port). China is also expected to take advantage of an all-season Northwest Passage for shipping to the Americas and the US controlling Greenland would give them the capacity to choke these trade routes if needed.

If USA is going to do it, it must be through high level negotiations. Nothing is impossible nor beyond reach for the world super-power. All it will take is the use of leverages against Denmark, and at the same time, offer them good incentives. In the end, it'll come down to referendum where the Greenland citizens may be asked to choose between becoming part of the United States of America or remain as Denmark territory. There's absolutely no question which direction the citizens will choose.

What leverage does the US have over Denmark that it would be willing to exchange territory for money? Unlike with Russia the Danish aren't currently experiencing any major economic problems. Well aside from the ticking time bomb from their immigrant quota. 

snip

United States already have base on Greenland, it is there since 1943, Thule Air Base

Yes but we never know how things would change with the Danish government. The US also had bases in the Philippines since from the time it was their colony but after a revolution there in the 80s they got kicked out (not that the country invited them decades later for exercises without the hassle of maintaining bases  ).

[OgNasty]

Something like 90% of the Greenland population belongs to indigenous people

just like the early US population? if they learn from history... better stay away

I think Hawaii would make a better example. 

Greenland is abundant in minerals.

ofc, that's what really matters. stuff, not the people.

I disagree.  While those minerals are important, and the ability to claim more Arctic land like Russia has been doing would also be important, it is clear the motivations here are related to the military.

Ask indigenous people in Alaska would they rather  be part of Russia, instead United States.

ask if they would like to be part of Denmark.

Ask Denmark if they want to continue paying hundreds of millions of dollars annually to support far away lands.  The citizens don't get a vote.

[criptix]

Extremely unlikely that the sell will happen.

Several posters mentioned the economic and geo-political implications if the US owns greenland - all this is also in the interest of the EU and thus im quite sure that neither denmark nor the EU will support this.

[DigitalAssetInvestor1]

He should buy Greenland, there are so many upsides to a purchase:

1. Military and commercial control of the arctic
2. Resource development/mining and drilling
3. Real-estate development
4. Retail business
5. Transport industry
6. Fishing industry

[BADecker]

^^^ Sounds like a good deal. We should start a holding company that buys Greenland first. We can sell it for more, later, to Trump or whoever. If we can't find a buyer, we have the benefits listed above for ourselves.

[Artemis3]

He should buy Greenland, there are so many upsides to a purchase:

1. Military and commercial control of the arctic
2. Resource development/mining and drilling
3. Real-estate development
4. Retail business
5. Transport industry
6. Fishing industry

Mr Trump would like a new golf course and hotel in exotic places, so this would fit point 3. Also with weather patterns changing, Greenland might actually become green (rather than white) so its like a long term investment. Perhaps it would become associated state like Puerto Rico, no voting in congress.

[Spendulus]

He should buy Greenland, there are so many upsides to a purchase:

1. Military and commercial control of the arctic
2. Resource development/mining and drilling
3. Real-estate development
4. Retail business
5. Transport industry
6. Fishing industry

Mr Trump would like a new golf course and hotel in exotic places, so this would fit point 3. Also with weather patterns changing, Greenland might actually become green (rather than white) so its like a long term investment. Perhaps it would become associated state like Puerto Rico, no voting in congress.

That's a two mile thick slab of ice, millions of square miles of it.

Don't the ice. We could bottle that water up and sell it.

[BADecker]

He should buy Greenland, there are so many upsides to a purchase:

1. Military and commercial control of the arctic
2. Resource development/mining and drilling
3. Real-estate development
4. Retail business
5. Transport industry
6. Fishing industry

Mr Trump would like a new golf course and hotel in exotic places, so this would fit point 3. Also with weather patterns changing, Greenland might actually become green (rather than white) so its like a long term investment. Perhaps it would become associated state like Puerto Rico, no voting in congress.

That's a two mile thick slab of ice, millions of square miles of it.

Don't the ice. We could bottle that water up and sell it.

And all they have to do is pump oxygen into the methane under the ice, and ignite it... to melt the ice for bottling. If they run out of methane, maybe they can buy Iceland, and use the methane under it.

Just think. All that CO2 that will be produced, will make its way down to Brazil, and will replenish the jungles they are burning down there.