Donald Trump just told reporters that the U.S. will take Greenland “whether they like it or not.”
When asked if he plans to offer money to Greenlanders, Trump said “not yet” but left the door open.
Right now, he alleges (with no evidence, of course) that Russia and China are circling Greenland with destroyers and submarines, and the U.S. needs to act first.
Trump said he’d prefer to make a deal “the easy way”, but if that doesn’t work, “we’re going to do it the hard way.” He added that Denmark’s historical claims don’t matter, saying “a boat landing 500 years ago doesn’t mean you own it.”
Trump argued that leasing land isn’t enough, even though the U.S. already has rights to deploy unlimited troops there under the current agreement. He told reporters, “You don’t defend leases the same way. You have to own it.” That, he said, is why short-term deals like Obama’s Iran deal don’t work; countries need permanent ownership.
Trump then repeated that he likes Russia and China, but said he won’t allow them as neighbors in Greenland. “I love the people of Russia. I love the people of China. I get along great with Xi and Putin,” Trump said. “But they’re not going to occupy Greenland. Not on my watch.”
Meanwhile, Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, is publicly hinting at going behind Denmark’s back. She told Danish media that Greenland should consider holding one-on-one talks with the U.S. without Copenhagen.
“What would be wrong with that?” she said. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to meet with Motzfeldt and Denmark’s Lars Løkke Rasmussen next week.
Trump isn’t interested in any legal debates either. According to him, “I don’t need international law. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
Source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/trump-will-make-greenland-part-of-the-us/