What if Donald Trump’s fad was materializing? The White House is preparing an estimate of the cost that would represent for the federal government control of Greenland as a territory, according to three sources close to the file, reveals the Washington Post This Wednesday, April 2. While the demands of the ex-real estate-magnat arouse international indignation and reprobation in Denmark, the White House officials are busy quantifying Greenland into an American territory. For example: How much would the provision of public services cost its 58,000 inhabitants?
“An option under study consists in proposing to the government of Greenland a more advantageous agreement than that of the Danes, who currently subsidize public services on the island up to around $ 600 million per year,” said the Washington Post. Indeed, one of the angles of attack of the Trump administration is to denigrate Danish management, while ensuring that Washington would be a much better partner. “Our message to Denmark is very simple. You have not done a good job for the Greenlandic people,” said vice-president JD Vance, who became the highest American official last week to go to Greenland.
An official of the White House clarified that these cost analyzes are based on the hypothesis that “the Greenlanders vote and support this proposal”.
At the Trump administration budget office, staff members are also trying to estimate the income that the US Treasury could draw natural resources from this immense Danish territory. The objective is also to convince the American public because this acquisition could generate mining fees and therefore be a good deal. THE Financial Times had suggested in 2019 that Greenland resources were estimated at around $ 1,100 billion, but this figure varies depending on the hypotheses and methodologies used.
“A strategically important place”
The 47th American president repeatedly repeated that the United States “would obtain” Greenland, among other potential acquisitions mentioned, namely Canada and the Panama Canal. “He considers Greenland to be the easiest,” said a White House manager at Washington Postknowing the position of the Republican well. David Barker, real estate developer and former economist at the New York Fed, still evaluated for the New York Times The cost of Greenland between 12.5 and 77 billion dollars.
One thing is certain: this internal planning suggests that the ambitions of the administration to acquire Greenland exceed the simple reflections of the president, and begin to reflect in government policy. “The President believes that Greenland is a strategically important place and is convinced that the Greenlanders would be better protected by the United States against modern threats in the Arctic region,” said Anna Kelly, assistant press home attaché, in an email. For his part, Steve Bannon, ex-advisor of the president during his first mandate, confirms in the Washington Post That “Donald Trump is obsessed with Greenland, because of its importance for national security”.
Except that Denmark is not of this opinion and does not intend to have Greenland has been won over by a NATO ally. The Danish Prime Minister, puts Frederiksen, plans a three -day visit to the island from this Wednesday, April 2, at the invitation of the new Groenlandian government, in particular to demonstrate Denmark’s desire to strengthen its links with this territory. “We have to listen when the others talk about us. But we must not be shaken,” said on Sunday, March 30 on Facebook, Groenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. He took office on Friday after an election where Donald Trump’s ambitions for Greenland obviously played a major role.