Why Donald Trump Wants to Add Greenland to the United States

Donald Trump wants Greenland to be part of the United States. It’s an idea that has drawn both excitement and disdain from different people. But why? Some think it’s just bluster, or maybe an impossible task. Others believe Trump is serious and accuse him of pushing for expansionism. Still others see it as the only way to adequately defend the United States from the growing threat of Russia and China in the Arctic.

Growing America

There are many who oppose adding territory to the United States. That’s nothing new, however. Every time America has moved its boundaries, there have been those who opposed it.

Thomas Jefferson, America’s third president, practically doubled the nation’s size with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Some doubted that the Constitution granted the president that authority. According the second clause in Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution, the president has the power, with the consent of two-thirds of the US Senate, to make treaties.

Jefferson himself doubted he had the authority to make the deal, but on October 20 of that year, the Senate voted 24-7 to ratify the purchase.

In 1854, Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, signed the Gadsden Treaty with Mexican President Antonio de Santa Anna. It added almost 30,000 square miles of territory to the US.

President Andrew Johnson bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million – a price that comes out to about two cents an acre. The deal itself was negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward. Many though so poorly of the deal they called it Seward’s Folly – and Alaska they called Seward’s Icebox.

The Alaskan territory was largely ignored for years, but that all changed when gold was discovered. Then, later, the true national security value of Alaska became clear during World War II. Now imagine how differently the very tense situation called the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the western world – including the United States – might have gone if Alaska still belonged to Russia!

All of these expansions and more met with criticism for various reasons – but all of them also ended up extremely valuable for various reasons, including for national security purposes. Adding Greenland to the US would be no different. It would give America a great advantage in the North Atlantic at a time when Russia and China are both working together and increasing their presence in the Arctic.

A Choice for Greenland

But no matter what argument any American has for or against acquiring Greenland, Danish Pime Minister Mette Frederikse probably said it best:

“We need a very, very close co-operation with the US. On the other hand, I would like everyone to respect that Greenlanders are people. It is their country that is at stake here.”

There is a point there, however, that even Frederiksen misses it. “Greenland is not for sale,” she says. But what if it is?

Greenland is presently an autonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark. Recently, however, there has been tension between Greenland and Denmark, which shows that at least a good number of the 50,000 or so people on the island aren’t happy with the current situation. So, could Trump come up with a deal Greenlanders might agree to?

It wouldn’t really be that hard. In 2008, 75% of Greenlanders supported a law that brought more autonomy and self-governance. It granted them the right to completely declare independence, if they wanted to. However, polls from 2016 and 2017 showed that 64% wanted full independence, but $78% would refuse total independence if it meant a decrease in living standards.

Greenland still gets its defense and just over three billion Danish kroner (that’ about $400 million in US dollars) from Denmark. If the US offered a stronger defense, more spending, and to allow the people of Greenland to rule themselves in return for full access for defense and for mining of rare earth minerals, would they take the deal?

That’s their choice, of course. But assuming Trump offers such a deal and Greenlanders agree to it, there would still be the issue of two-thirds consent from the Senate. Presently, Republicans have a 53-47 majority. However, a total of two-thirds of however many are present and voting must support the agreement – if the full Senate is there, that means 60 out of 100. So, a handful of Democrats would have to “cross the aisle,” so to speak, and vote with Republicans on the issue, but far from the realm of impossible.

1. Donald Trump wants to add Greenland to the United States.
2. There are many critics of this idea, but there are also benefits – including benefits to national security.
3. The prime minister of Denmark is opposed to any deal to add Greenland to the US, but the people of Greenland have the right to vote for independence from Denmark if they want to.