Donald Trump has had his fair share of unhinged epiphanies and soundbites during a press conference. From suggesting people inject bleach to protect themselves against COVID-19 to saying he wanted to purchase Greenland in 2019, sometimes the felon-elect’s statements are outright puzzling.
However, this time he isn’t backing down.
And as his Republican counterparts scratch their heads at the idea of his acquisition of Greenland, Trump has even entertained the possibility of using military force. When asked by a reporter on Tuesday if he could “assure” people that he wouldn’t use military force to seize control of Greenland, Trump denied that outright.
“No. I can’t assure you on either of those two, but I can say this: We need them for economic security,” he said, later adding that “it might be that you’ll have to do something.”
Of course, Greenland didn’t take to Trump’s suggestion too kindly and rejected his proposal.
“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Danish officials—Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark—may be worried about the ramifications of not working with Trump as he has threatened steep tariffs on Denmark if the country does not cooperate. This, and the threat of force, may make them more amenable to discussion, CNN reported.
A view of the village of Kangaamiut in Greenland.
“We are open to a dialogue with the Americans on how we can possibly cooperate even more closely than we do to ensure that the American ambitions are fulfilled,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters.
While Trump has cited “national security” reasons for wanting to acquire the island inhabited by about 56,000 people, there’s another big appeal that he’s been leaving out of his press conferences. Greenland is a treasure trove of minerals the U.S. needs to compete with China, and the island hasn’t been quick (enough) to fork them over.
More specifically, Greenland has neodymium and dysprosium. These extremely rare elements—used for electric motors, wind turbines, and other electronics—are found in healthy amounts and lay widely untouched across Greenland. Thanks to climate change, the once iced-over minerals are now up for grabs.
China has what The New York Times calls a “near monopoly” of these rare elements, putting the U.S. in a desperate position against the globalist giant.
With Greenland’s minerals—not to mention their untapped oil resources—the U.S. would be able to rely less, or not at all, on China’s supply.
But Trump isn’t the first resource-hungry person of power to make a grab for the territory or its resources—and Greenland’s indigenous folks are ready. Previously, townsfolk successfully gave the boot to a mining company backed by China who tried to lay claim on some of their valuable ore.
And while only two mines are active on the island, one for rubies and the other for anorthosite, this hasn’t stopped billionaires from heading exploration projects to scan for the precious minerals. In August 2021, KoBold Metals, a company backed by Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, teamed up with British-owned Bluejay Mining to search for minerals using artificial intelligence. According to one report, Bluejay has four projects underway but has not yet struck their pickaxe.
Homes are illuminated after the sunset in Tasiilaq, Greenland.
The U.S. started bolstering its mining relations with Greenland over the past five years, opening a consulate in Nuuk, the capital, in 2020, in an attempt to gain access to the precious ore. Through this and the Minerals Security Partnership—which Greenland only recently joined—the U.S. has been attempting to secure mining in Greenland in a way that works with its natives.
According to data provided to Daily Kos by the government of Greenland, the U.S. has only one active exploration license on the island. Meanwhile, the U.K. and Canada lead the pack, as each have 23 separate exploration licenses.
Licenses for exploration have steadily increased on the island over the past decade.
But it’s not just scarce resources driving this move—Trump’s claims of national security threats aren’t too far-fetched. The island has also become a valuable player in trade and geopolitics. And while the incoming president doesn’t rule out the military as an option, Trump already has a military presence in southern Greenland thanks to a decades-old treaty should he move toward that option.
Greenland is but one territory that Trump has set sights on before starting his second term. The incoming president has also proclaimed Canada as the “51st state,” alleging that Canadians would love to be a part of the U.S. following the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Additionally, Trump wants to seize control of the Panama Canal, citing exorbitant fees to use the trade route. However, as Alex Samuels reported for Daily Kos, political commentators have taken notice of Trump’s mounting tax issues in Panama as well. While it is unclear if the two are related, it wouldn’t be the first time Trump used his position of power to carry out a personal vendetta.
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