Denmark May Regret Not Selling Greenland to Trump
How long will the Danes even own it?
James Freeman
Jan. 3, 2025 8:41 pm ET
WSJ
Danish politicians may be struggling to understand the art of the deal. Yes, real estate is about location, location and location. But for any kind of negotiation, timing is important too. Voters in Denmark may soon be asking why political leaders didn’t cut a deal with President Donald Trump when they had the chance during his first term. That’s when Mr. Trump broached the idea of the United States purchasing Greenland, a Danish territory and former colony. Mr. Trump recently raised the issue again as he prepares for his second term.
Now the Danes could end up getting bupkis for the chilly islands—no check from Uncle Sam and no control over Greenland. Reuters reports from Copenhagen:
Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede emphasised his desire to pursue independence from Denmark, its former colonial ruler, during his New Year speech, marking a significant change in the rhetoric surrounding the Arctic island’s future.
Egede’s speech, which comes on the heels of comments by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump expressing his wish for “ownership and control” of Greenland, also expressed a desire to strengthen Greenland’s cooperation with other countries.
“It is about time that we ourselves take a step and shape our future, also with regard to who we will cooperate closely with, and who our trading partners will be,” he said…
“It is now time for our country to take the next step. Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation – which we can describe as the shackles of colonialism – and move forward,” he said.
This doesn’t mean that Mr. Egede welcomes a U.S. acquisition. Kathryn Armstrong reported for the BBC after the most recent Trump declaration of interest last month:
Greenland has once again said it is not for sale after US President-elect Donald Trump said he wanted to take control of the territory.
“Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland,” its prime minister said on Monday, a day after Trump repeated comments about the Arctic island that he first made several years ago.
But if Greenland is rapidly moving toward a split with Denmark, it will likely be seeking a partner to offer security, as well as new commercial opportunities. The BBC report quoted Mr. Egede:
“We must not lose our long struggle for freedom. However, we must continue to be open to co-operation and trade with the whole world, especially with our neighbours,” he said.
As for Mr. Egede’s new call for independence, Ashleigh Fields reports for the Hill:
His New Year’s Day speech emphasized the autonomous territory’s developments, highlighting its opening of an international airport as a global pathway to change.
“In the coming summer, it will now be possible to reach us directly from other countries, without first traveling via Denmark, it will therefore be possible for us to develop and govern our country more independently,” he added.
He declared that new airports in Ilulissat and Qaqortoq were the next step in a process for an “improved” and “flexible” infrastructure that could bolster tourism and trade.
Denmark may be in for a bad case of non-seller’s remorse. Sure, “fly me to Ilulissat” is not something you hear every day. But with travel options expanding the sky’s the limit. And recent history suggests Greenland may be in for a Trump bump.
Alyssa Newcomb reported for NBC in 2019:
As far as vacation destinations go, Greenland probably hasn’t been at the top of people’s lists — but new evidence shows that may be changing.
The world’s largest island was thrust into the spotlight last week after President Donald Trump said he would be interested in buying the country, which is an autonomous Danish territory. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the idea of buying another country in 2019 is “absurd.” That prompted Trump to cancel his state visit to Denmark on Sept. 2.
Greenland’s tourism board has used the attention to remind Americans that the country is open for business and eager to host tourists. Travel websites are already noticing an increase in searches from people figuring out what it would cost to visit Greenland.
Hayley Berg, an economist at travel booking website Hopper, told NBC News that there has been a 337 percent spike in interest coming from the United States ever since Greenland started making headlines last week.
If travel expands, Americans may soon be cherishing memories of exotic getaways and saying, “We’ll always have Qaqortoq.”
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James Freeman is the co-author of “The Cost: Trump, China and American Revival” and also the co-author of “Borrowed Time: Two Centuries of Booms, Busts and Bailouts at Citi.”
