“Greenland is not for sale” Trump wants to buy the Danish territory: How much would it cost?

Seizing control of Greenland has been a long-term plan of Donald Trump. It has been on his agenda since his first term in office.

In August 2019, the US President mooted the idea of purchasing the country, which pertains to Denmark. At the time, no one was sure if his bold claims were a joke or not and the issue was quickly forgotten about with the onset of the Covid pandemic. Now, with Trump in his second term, Greenland is back on the agenda, and this time, he has made it clear that he is deadly serious about his geopolitical designs for the North Atlantic island - first discovered by Norse explorers in 982 AD.

Why is Trump so keen on Greenland?

So why is the Trump administration so keen to take over Greenland and what is the hurry? Apart from its strategic position in the North Atlantic and access to its natural resources, the other reasons are China and Russia.

“President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it’s vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN this week. “The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”

The cost of buying another country or territory

A full-scale military invasion is unlikely though, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told lawmakers that the US is studying options to buy Greenland. Which raises another question - how much would it cost?

The United States have acquired numerous territories over the years - including the Danish Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917. In terms of size, the most similar cases were Louisiana (bought from France in 1803) and more recently, Alaska.

The Alaska Purchase was settled for $7.2 million in 1867, which would be the equivalent of around $157 billion, give or take a few cents, in today’s rates, adjusted for inflation. Real estate experts estimate that buying Greenland from Denmark could cost anywhere from $15 billion to $155 billion - providing of course that the Danes agree to sell. Secretary Rubio is due to fly out to Scandinavia next week to instigate talks with Danish authorities.

What about Greenland’s citizens, what will they think?

Greenland is an autonomous territory under Danish control. The country has been ruled from abroad since 1814, with home rule granted in 1979. In 2009, the relationship between Greenland and Denmark was further redefined, granting Greenland greater control over its natural resources and judicial system. However, defense and foreign affairs remain primarily the responsibility of the Danish government.

According to recent estimates, Greenland is home to around 56,000 people. Around 90 percent of the population are indigenous Greenlandic Inuit, while about 8 percent identify as Danish.

Interestingly, the three most influential political parties in Greenland, based on the results of the 2021 election—Inuit Ataqatigiit (37.44 percent of the vote), Siumut (30.10 percent), and Naleraq (12.26 percent)—all support Greenland’s independence from Denmark.

However, while much of the population is in favor of independence from Denmark, that complex political and legal process is a long way off even starting. Also, it does not imply that Greenland’s inhabitants would be interested in becoming a US territory.

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