The White House National Security Council has met several times to discuss how the plan can become a reality, reports the New York Times. A number of different departments are said to be involved.
Instead of a military operation, the council is placing its hope on a comprehensive PR campaign to convince Greenland’s nearly 57,000 inhabitants to want to become part of the United States. Among other things, they have discussed using social media campaigns and advertisements to charm the otherwise critical public opinion.
Once a Danish colony, Greenland became an autonomous part of Denmark in the 1950s. Over time, it has expanded its self-governance. However, economic support from Copenhagen remains important, accounting for about half of the public income from self-government. As part of the plan, Trump’s staff is now looking at various options to replace the Danish contribution, which amounted to around 6 billion Swedish kronor last year. One possibility being considered is an annual payment equivalent to 100,000 kronor per Greenlander.
A source for the Washington Post says that they would provide significantly larger sums than Denmark.
Some of Trump’s staff members believe that at least part of the amount could be funded by extracting the mineral resources found on the island, according to New York Times sources. Greenland is said to have abundant rare earth metals, but still lacks proper mining operations and other crucial infrastructure to extract them.
The wealth is highly relevant to Trump’s ambition to take over Greenland.
It’s about important minerals. This is about natural resources, said Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in a Fox interview earlier this year.
Donald Trump’s interest in Greenland is nothing new. During his previous presidential term, he openly talked about seizing the island. Both Denmark’s and Greenland’s governments have repeatedly rejected the Americans’ proposals.4o mini
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