Trump's team prepares to set price for Greenland: Media calculates possible offer
Donald Trump continues attempts to acquire Greenland (Photo: Getty Images)
The administration of US President Donald Trump is exploring the possibility of putting a price on Greenland. Although the American leader did not publicly name a price, the administration had previously made promises to Greenlanders about billions of dollars in investments during discussions in 2019, according to Newsweek.
Officials in the Trump administration are considering the possibility of doubling the current subsidies that Greenland receives from Denmark, which currently amount to 600 million dollars per year.
"The point is, 'We'll pay you more than Denmark does'," said one administration official in an interview with The Washington Post on April 1, referring to Greenland.
This means that any potential proposal would include an annual payment to Greenland of over 600 million dollars, increasing the costs from a one-time payment to annual obligations, according to Newsweek.
Thus, the total amount of the current proposal from the US government could be over 2.2 billion dollars, with regular payments every year.
Greenland's leadership has consistently rejected Trump's proposals, and the then Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, stated in December: "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and we will never be for sale."
Another factor is that Trump could make tariff threats to Denmark. The president had considered targeting Danish pharmaceutical exports, including popular drugs like Ozempic, if Denmark refused to negotiate.
Who else has tried to buy Greenland
As stated in a Newsweek article, Trump is not the first president to show interest in Greenland. Harry Truman offered Denmark 100 million dollars in gold for the island in 1946. Adjusting this offer for inflation, it would be approximately 1.6 billion dollars in today's money.
Plan to acquire Greenland
Trump's desire to acquire Greenland transitioned from rhetoric to official US policy. Specific instructions were sent to government agencies on this matter. Washington aims to take control of the Arctic island through a campaign of persuasion rather than annexation. As The New York Times reports, the plan mobilizes several US Cabinet departments that have supported Trump’s years of discussions about wanting to purchase Greenland from Denmark.
