Trump has reached a new low

Latest blog by our Christian K. Lassen stresses how ludicrous and insulting was Donald Trump's proposal to buy Greenland.

• President Trump’s proposition to purchase Greenland in what he termed was “essentially a large real estate deal” was brought up in relation to an upcoming visit to Denmark by President Trump – a visit that he had invited himself to unannounced a few weeks ago, prompting a subsequent invitation by the Danish Queen Margrethe II to accommodate an ally’s desire to visit. The ludicrous proposition to purchase Greenland was understandably dismissed as absurd by both the Danish and Greenlandic political establishment, who instead sought to emphasize other, more pressing concerns that warranted discussion; transatlantic relations, climate change, Arctic geopolitical situation, and more. 

To understand the degeneracy of Trump’s recent antics, context is needed. Denmark has proven to be one of the US’ most reliable allies in recent decades. Denmark has stood by the US in all its wars. Relative to population, Denmark has suffered more losses than the US in those wars due to having troops deployed in the harshest conflict zones in both Afghanistan and Iraq, such as the Helmand province. Denmark furthermore provides specialized radar equipment and logistical expertise to various other US missions, enabling vital intelligence gathering and supply lines to the US. During the Cold War, Denmark allowed the US to establish the Thule Air Base on Greenland, giving the US a potential edge against the Soviet Union, and which later led to the secret US Project Iceworm, in which nuclear missile launch sites were networked under the ice sheet. In sum, Denmark can be categorized as one of the US’ closest allies in terms of actions and commitment in recent times, and one that has sacrificed much for the US to show solidarity in the aftermath of 9/11.

Full text is available here.

Christian Kvorning Lassen
Deputy Director & Head of Research

Expertise: Migration/European migration crisis, EU foreign policy, Scandinavian politics, populism, EU enlargement policy