‘The people of Greenland are ‘MAGA’: Trump believes that MAGA doesn’t just apply to America
In recent weeks, Donald Trump has continued stating that he would like to buy Greenland. That’s right, buy a whole country like it’s an item on a McDonald’s menu.
Trump has been talking about wanting to own Greenland since 2019, not realizing that countries aren’t like landing spots on a Monopoly board. Since his re-election in 2024, he has continued the rhetoric of wanting to buy Greenland from Denmark (Greenland is Denmark’s territory). Trump has posted multiple times about wanting to purchase the country on his media site, Trump Social, igniting backlash from the country itself. The Prime Minister of Greenland, Múte B. Egede, has unequivocally stated that Greenland is “not for sale and will never be for sale.”
In the new year, Trump has continued to stand firm in his decision to buy Greenland. “I am hearing that the people of Greenland are “MAGA,” he wrote on Truth Social, continuing, “Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump’s post comes with a video of what appears to be a Greenlander encouraging Trump to buy the island nation. His desire would seem to stem from a dislike of Denmark’s continued management of the island’s foreign affairs and defense, though Greenland has much autonomy over internal matters such as law, economic affairs, trade, and the employment market. There has been a concerted push towards true independence, with Egede looking set to propose an independence referendum sometime this year. It should be noted that half of Greenland’s public budget comes from Danish subsidizations.
Why does Trump want Denmark?
Greenland is the largest island located in the Arctic, a territory that many world powers are trying to push into. The 2.1 million km squared island is rich in resources such as oil and rare earth minerals and is believed to be abundant with untapped oil and natural gas. It’s also in a strategic position for missile defense and space surveillance. The U.S. already has a base there, The Pituffik Space Base, the northernmost U.S. military base in the world which can provide early missile warnings.
Another reason is to gain control of shipping lanes. As the Arctic melts due to the ongoing climate crisis, it has opened up new shipping routes that can be taken advantage of. Greenland is in a prime position sitting along the shortest route between the U.S. and Europe. So you can see why it may be enticing to own. Trump isn’t the only person in power to have shown interest in Greenland. China has tried to buy old U.S. bases as well as open up airports on the island raising concerns in Washington.
The chance of Trump ever actually being able to follow through on his plan is extremely low. Egede has already stated his opinion on the matter, and Denmark also made its stance on the idea known back in 2019, calling Trump’s plan “absurd.” More recently, Denmark boosted Greenland’s defense budget with a roughly $1.5 billion package in response to Trump’s acquisition remarks.
Greenland is not the only country Trump has laid sights on. he’s also commented about buying the Panama Canal and joked about making Canada the Unites States’ 51st State. Trump’s billionaire friend Musk has also recently made comments about America liberating Britain. None of these things are likely to happen, but it’s certainly raised tensions in the respective countries as well as on a global scale.
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