House GOP unveils bill for Trump to buy Greenland
The bill would allow the U.S. to purchase the Danish territory — or procure it through economic or military force
What happened
House Republicans Monday released a bill that would allow President-elect Donald Trump to "enter into negotiations with the Kingdom of Denmark to secure the acquisition of Greenland," the semiautonomous Danish territory that Trump has suggested the U.S. purchase or, if necessary, procure through economic or military force.
Who said what
The "Make Greenland Great Again Act" is the "latest in a series of proposed Republican legislation to bring Trump's vision of a new, sprawling American empire to fruition," Axios said.
Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly said the giant island in the Arctic Ocean is not for sale. But Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede said at a press conference Monday that the geopolitical "reality is we are going to work with the U.S. — yesterday, today and tomorrow," especially on defense and natural resources. Greenland, home to "only about 56,000 people," is mostly "covered in ice," The New York Times said. But as "climate change melts the Arctic ice," the U.S., Russia, China and Europe have been "eyeing" its emerging "Arctic's shipping lanes" and "extensive mineral resources."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Greenland is "subject to the Danish constitution," Reuters said, so "any change to its legal status would require a constitutional amendment."
-
Gavin Newsom and Dr. Oz feud over fraud allegationsIn the Spotlight Newsom called Oz’s behavior ‘baseless and racist’
-
‘Admin night’: the TikTok trend turning paperwork into a partyThe Explainer Grab your friends and make a night of tackling the most boring tasks
-
Find art, beautiful parks and bright pink soup in VilniusThe Week Recommends The city offers the best of a European capital
-
Greenland: The lasting damage of Trump’s tantrumFeature His desire for Greenland has seemingly faded away
-
The price of forgivenessFeature Trump’s unprecedented use of pardons has turned clemency into a big business.
-
Will Peter Mandelson and Andrew testify to US Congress?Today's Big Question Could political pressure overcome legal obstacles and force either man to give evidence over their relationship with Jeffrey Epstein?
-
The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?Talking Point Rambling speeches, wind turbine obsession, and an ‘unhinged’ letter to Norway’s prime minister have caused concern whether the rest of his term is ‘sustainable’
-
A running list of everything Donald Trump’s administration, including the president, has said about his healthIn Depth Some in the White House have claimed Trump has near-superhuman abilities
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
‘Implementing strengthened provisions help advance aviation safety’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
