Merged Greenland is part of NATO via Denmark

[Jimmy Higgins]

There's no evidence this is about oil or mineral rights at all

I don't like the sound of Trump's voice either but I'm pretty sure he's mentioned minerals in Greenland in the same rant at least once...

This isn't about minerals. It would be a lot cheaper to mine in Greenland than to buy Greenland so we could mine in it.

 

[Bomb#20]

Here's another fun fact. When you call the Danish authorties it'll be answered by Greenland operators. They do all phone support for the Danish govornement. Denmark has outsourced as much administration to Greenland as possible. This is purely a method to create jobs in a region that has very little going for it, financially. Not everyone wants to be a fisherman. Which is another reason Greenlanders might want to start extracting the oil. It'll create jobs.

Create jobs. So out of the blue, the Inuit will be capable of mining or running a mine? Any mineral production will require notable infrastructure improvements as well. Greenland will become like North Dakota, lots of jobs and nowhere to live (and as a bonus, no way to get to the job).

You have such little faith in the capability of the inuit. Denmark has plenty of oil rigs currently operating in the North sea. Many inuit workers. Denmark is now winding down their oil production and are planning to phase out the entire industry by 2050 (because oil is so last century *roll eyes*). So Greenland now has plenty of trained inuit oil rig specialists retraining as tourist guides for hikers. This number will keep increasing.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

There is no evidence Greenland would be compensated for any mineral rights. Or benefit from any spending or riches from the US.

There's no evidence this is about oil or mineral rights at all. We're just speculating.

That'd be you speculating. I'm not saying this is about minerals.

But Trump is a businessman. I think he understands how deals work.

Why? His idea of a deal is he gets what he wants at the expense of the third party. His entire career worked on that premise of shortcutting whomever he could.

As a reminder, Trump is trying to reduce benefits in the US, not expand them. Forget the whole health care coverage thing.

That's ideology. Not evidence of Trumps evil. He's a Republican doing the Republican thing.

No. He isn't He isn't a Republican, he isn't a conservative. Most of his policies, other than starving the Executive Branch are blatantly un-Republican. Tariffs, extremely un-conservative economic trade policies.

You can't blame him for doing exactly the thing he promised he'd do in the election. If anything this is part of the platform that elected him, ie the will of the people.

He didn't say anything about Venezuela or Greenland in the election. He explicitly said what George W Bush said about America First. Are you paying attentioin?

To make matters a tad bit more confusing, there is already an agreement between the US and Denmark about military access to Greenland, which makes this entire Trump process ridiculously stupid. Trump wants to protect the NW Passage, he can ask Denmark about a base in Northern Greenland. Of course, if this was about providing protection to the NW Passage and not a long term middle finger to Europe to reduce their access, we could see why Trump might not be going the existing framework pathway.

USA already has a military base on Greenland. In fact, since WW2 there's been more US soldiers stationed on Greenland than Danish soldiers. That's still the situation.

Obviously this isn't about national security. That's an incredibly stupid justification. When it comes to that, USA already has everything they could ever want. Up until now, Denmark could not have been cooperating more with USA. Despite Trumps all silly statements, there's no talk about forcing USA to close the base.

The base is a tracking facility on the west end of nowhere. They aren't particularly armed for conflict up there. That base provides no security to the locals.

 

[Shadowy Man]

There's no evidence this is about oil or mineral rights at all

I don't like the sound of Trump's voice either but I'm pretty sure he's mentioned minerals in Greenland in the same rant at least once...

This isn't about minerals. It would be a lot cheaper to mine in Greenland than to buy Greenland so we could mine in it.

Art of the deal, baby!!!

 

[ideologyhunter]

The talking heads keep saying that if we took military action against a NATO ally, that NATO would be over. How is it not over and done with now, with this insane threat being made by a President and virtually no one in his party saying that it's insane? There is again no bottom level to Trump's malice and ugliness. He shames our country every day that he's still waddling about. We have the US electorate (those who showed up, anyway), the GOP, and SCOTUS to thank for this godalmighty stink. How low can he -- and the country -- sink? No telling.

 

[Shadowy Man]

But Trump is a businessman. I think he understands how deals work.

Why? His idea of a deal is he gets what he wants at the expense of the third party. His entire career worked on that premise of shortcutting whomever he could.

Yeah, I got a good chuckle out of DrZ implying Trump is good businessman and understands how to make deals.

As a reminder, Trump is trying to reduce benefits in the US, not expand them. Forget the whole health care coverage thing.

That's ideology. Not evidence of Trumps evil. He's a Republican doing the Republican thing.

No. He isn't He isn't a Republican, he isn't a conservative. Most of his policies, other than starving the Executive Branch are blatantly un-Republican. Tariffs, extremely un-conservative economic trade policies.

Yes, most of Trump’s policies are not in line with historically conservative or Republican priorities.

You can't blame him for doing exactly the thing he promised he'd do in the election. If anything this is part of the platform that elected him, ie the will of the people.

He didn't say anything about Venezuela or Greenland in the election. He explicitly said what George W Bush said about America First. Are you paying attentioin?

I don’t know where DrZ gets his information about the US but it isn’t the first time I have seen him pronounce descriptions that are completely out of whack with my understanding of this country and its culture and politics.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

The talking heads keep saying that if we took military action against a NATO ally, that NATO would be over. How is it not over and done with now, with this insane threat being made by a President and virtually no one in his party saying that it's insane? There is again no bottom level to Trump's malice and ugliness. He shames our country every day that he's still waddling about. We have the US electorate (those who showed up, anyway), the GOP, and SCOTUS to thank for this godalmighty stink. How low can he -- and the country -- sink? No telling.

Come on... it is just negotiating tactics... don't be so serious. Tell him we are just kidding each other.. TELL HIM!!!

 

[Swammerdami]

But Trump is a businessman. I think he understands how deals work.

Why? His idea of a deal is he gets what he wants at the expense of the third party. His entire career worked on that premise of shortcutting whomever he could.

Yeah, I got a good chuckle out of DrZ implying Trump is good businessman and understands how to make deals.

Trump wrote the bestseller Art of the Deal. Untold numbers of Americans have used this book to improve their business skills. The book was entirely written by Tony Schwartz who, despite a huge paycheck calls this effort "the biggest regret of my life", and wishes the 1987 bestseller "weren't even in print." ... "I knew this was a bad guy when I did the book ... Trump is not only willing to lie, but he doesn't get bothered by it, doesn't feel guilty about it, isn't preoccupied by it. There's an emptiness inside Trump. There's an absence of a soul. There's an absence of a heart."

Trump University was also a huge success, with many Americans paying big bucks to be taught by instructors carefully selected by the Master.

Despite the huge success of his Atlantic City hotels, Trump supplemented his income by hosting The Apprentice. By deducing which applicant wouldn't work out and saying "You're Fired!" Trump proved he was one of the greatest businessmen ever. The entire show was scripted: not just who would get fired but the words Master would recite. (The idea that a real billionaire would humiliate himself like this is hilarious.) Trump's success is summarized by the show's produce: "We created a monster."

 

[Don2 (Don1 Revised)]

Indigenous people of Alaska earn on average less than half of that of Whites. This is reflected in a gini coefficient of .4376. The gini coefficient of Greenland is .339. While this is higher than that of Denmark mainland, it is considerably better than Alaska in terms of equality.

While it is true about an __average__ income being higher in Alaska, we have to look at who is getting the money and what it is spent on. We can see from these figures that it isn't an even distribution of wealth. Moreover, if Trump annexes Greenland, he's not going to be passing around ownership of oil to indigenous people. It won't be the same situation as Venezuela, but it's also not going to be indigenous owned oil companies. Indigenous people will get jobs working for oil companies and in the mines. Will they maintain a right to unionize? Will they need that extra money to pay for their most expensive US healthcare in the world? There are healthcare disparities between indigenous people in Greenland and Danish, but there are also extreme disparities between indigenous people in Alaska and non-hispanic Whites. At least in Greenland, it is free.

The economic conclusion is one of very high risk and uncertainty. This is a case of The Devil You Know...

I'm not arguing against any of this. Sure. But its a question if negotiation. Because of the Greenland oil Trump can make a deal that would benefit the inuit.

My point is that there's a fully legal way for Trump to nab Greenland that won't risk ww3. So that's obviously how he'd do it.

Me personally, I like that Trump is putting pressure on Denmark to show the inuit some love. The Danes take them for granted. I don't that Trump is doing it. But there's a silver lining.

The Faroese are fully integrated into Denmark. But they are Vikings and speak Danish. There are zero high school level educations in the Aleut language. Its not a good look imho. Its blatantly unfair.

Fun fact. I know the guy who is the de facto finance minister of Greenland. Its just a Copenhagen based accountant. Its just a guy. Not a special guy. A completely anonymous guy doing this as a side hustle at his regular accounting job. That's how small Greenland is.

It’s a fair point that Denmark’s relationship with Greenland has been far from perfect, and the frustration with Copenhagen is a powerful lever. But looking at the 2025 National Security Strategy (the 'Trump Corollary'), the 'better deal' being offered isn’t a partnership--it’s a foreclosure.

The document explicitly says aid and partnership are 'contingent' on pushing out all other foreign presence and giving 'sole-source contracts' to US companies. In Venezuela, we just saw what happens when a leader tries to negotiate terms rather than submit: Maduro was extracted, and President Rodriguez is now being told she’ll pay an even higher price if she doesn't hand over the oil.

When Trump talks about Greenland’s minerals, he’s not talking about Greenlandic wealth; he’s talking about US 'preeminence.' If Greenland 'joins' the US, it doesn't become a state with equal standing; it becomes a strategic asset under the Donroe Doctrine. They might get more mining jobs, but they lose the social protections of the Danish model for a system where, as we see in Alaska, the wealth doesn't actually reach the indigenous population.

Is it really a 'better deal' to trade an underperforming parent for a slumlord who only wants the gold in your basement?

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Well, the population of Greenland just swelled to 1.5 million after the White House indicated plans to pay each person in Greenland $10k to $100k to get them to cede to the US.

 

[Elixir]

Only 56k people live in Greenland. So he wants to buy the whole thing for less than he has personally grifted from us in the last year.

 

[laughing dog]

I live in Denmark and I can say that Europe and the Danes are completely delusional. Denmark gave Greenland home rule in 1979. Ie indipendence. The Greenland parliament do not need to ask Denmark for permission to secede and join USA. Historically, Denmark has treated the inuit similarly to how USA has treated their indians. Not good. The inuit are still treated as the weirdos up north. There's plenty living in Copenhagen. But they're not welcome in the regular Danish workforce. Alcoholism and social problems are rampant. While Greenlanders are proudly Danish. I doubt that Danish patriotism runs deep. Denmark certainly hasn't earned it.

Denmark is one of the last European countries where the carbon net zero goal isn't just something politicians say. It's actual policy. Denmark has promised to never tap Greenland for oil and seem to mean it. While Alaska is USA's richest state per capita. Greenland and Alaska are quite similar in that they sit on massive oil reserves and have tiny populations. My guess is that Trump has made the accurate observation that the Greenland inuit are being screwed over by the Danish government.

The stuff Trump is saying now.. it's just noise. The only realistic way Trump can take Greenland is to make an offer to the Greenland parliament that is better than the shit Denmark is offering them, and then let democracy happen. So that's obviously the way it will happen... if it will happen. No WW3. No NATO problem.

Trump is blundering around in the Western Hemisphere like a megalomaniac sociopath (sociopathic megalomaniac?). Trump doesn't have a sense of empathy and he sucks at deals that require any sense of symbiosis. So no, the US isn't providing Greenland anything they'll find great.

Worse yet, Greenland isn't about resources. It is about shutting the NW Passage off from Europe. The US doesn't need Greenland, we can always come up with some sort of arrangements on minerals or oil. Russia wants the US to control access to the NW Passage and keep it from Europe (because they lack the power to do so themselves), which requires the US having access to Greenland territory.

I still think Trump is a cunt. But thought there was some nuance missing from the general discussion on this. While Trump is a moron. He's not quite as moronic as people think.

He is much dumber than people think. We are currently in the 21st century. Energy, superconductors, rare earth elements, and access to clean water are the critical things moving into the future. Trump is wandering around like the Japanese Empire who needs to seize oil assets to make their imperialism possible.

Jimmy, I have to disagree, but we have no idea what Trump really thinks. You cannot take whatever he says at face value. I wish we could, but unless his statement means he will personally receive a tangible reward, you just cannot take it face value.

I'm basing my opinion on what Trump has done, his personality / flaws.

So he has said in the past that making Greenland part of the US was for strategic reasons. And maybe he even it meant it before his observable mental decline kicked in. But now, it's anyone guess what goes on in that brain of his.

The guy is being used as a marionette puppet by Putin. All of Trump's decision in Europe are to Russia's advantage. Putin wants a weaker Europe. The strategic value of Greenland with the current set up is south and east (GIUK gap). Putin wants the north occupied and held off to access for Europe to continue his attempt to weaken Europe.

You may be right. But Trump could want Greenland because it’s name means money.

 

[bilby]

Trump could want Greenland because it’s name means money.

Yeah, he probably wants to open a casino in Nuuk called "Greenland - Where You Can Win More Green Than You Can Eat!"

It will have a golf course (bring your parka) and an olympic sized swimming pool (bring your ice skates).

 

[Elixir]

Denmark showed Trump up as a pussy. So he wants revenge. Small minded small dicked murderous little piece of shit that he is.
Nothing Trump is capable of, is any more complicated than that.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Trump could want Greenland because it’s name means money.

Yeah, he probably wants to open a casino in Nuuk called "Greenland - Where You Can Win More Green Than You Can Eat!"

It will have a golf course (bring your parka) and an olympic sized swimming pool (bring your ice skates).

What do you mean it is a huge glacier? I thought it was called Greenland. I was going to open golf courses across the land. The biggest, bestest golf courses. And now you tell it is covered mostly in ice?!

God damn it! Bomb something!

 

[barbos]

I am not in US but where are the Congress democrats condemning this Greenland plan?

 

[Jarhyn]

Trump could want Greenland because it’s name means money.

Yeah, he probably wants to open a casino in Nuuk called "Greenland - Where You Can Win More Green Than You Can Eat!"

It will have a golf course (bring your parka) and an olympic sized swimming pool (bring your ice skates).

What do you mean it is a huge glacier? I thought it was called Greenland. I was going to open golf courses across the land. The biggest, bestest golf courses. And now you tell it is covered mostly in ice?!

God damn it! Bomb something!

No, scratch that, get as much napalm and nukes as you can, we're going to melt off all that ice. There's oil under it, probably, and minerals. We already have the best ICE in America anyway.

 

[bilby]

"No, Donald, I said that Greenland is an ice place".

 

[SLD]

Trump doubles down on Greenland after many in his own party are saying stop with this bullshit.

Trump says U.S. will 'do something on Greenland whether they like it or not'

The president's public remarks came three days after the White House press secretary said using the U.S. military is "always an option" for acquiring the Danish territory.

www.nbcnews.com

Whether Greenland likes it or not, he’s coming. Meanwhile Republican Senators are increasingly critical of this shit/. This is Sen. Thom Tillis from North Carolina:



Ordinarily, we’d dismiss this as just another Trump rhetoric, but we can’t anymore. The fucking moron is delusional and dangerously so.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Here's another theory, trying really hard to interpret Trump positively.

Since the US economic crisis in 2012 USA taking on more debt and really needing to cut down spending, they have done their best to talk Europe into increasing military spending (ie, pay half of NATO) costs.

Both Obama and Biden spent considerable effort talking Europe into spending more. As did Trump in his first term. European politicians explained that it would be political suicide.

It's important to acknowledge how cushy lives Europeans have. There's very little need to take personal responsibility here. Berlin is full of Europeans that have checked out and is milking the system for hand outs.

While Americans who'd behave in the same fashion would end up homeless. Which is why USA has a problem with homeless people and Europe don't.

Basically, having a strong military is expensive.

Since 2022 (because of the war in Ukraine and Trump being reluctant to ship arms to Ukraine) European military spending has sharply increased.

And now when Trump has threatened Greenland bills are being proposed in Europe all over Europe to further increase military spending.

Here's my point, perhaps USA's threat to take Greenland is only about goading NATO countries to spend more on their military.

Since 2022, Europe's armies have become reshuffled (to mimic France's independent military). Previously NATO military's were organised as highly specialised support brigades to help USA's military. But pretty much fucked if going in alone.

European militarys today are quite different from what they were in 2022.

A cool detail is that the nordic countries have pooled their (extremely high tech) air forces to be the most powerful air force in Europe. Which is cool. Especially since the nordics have very low populations.

Anyway... if Trump's Greenland play and hesitation in Ukraine was to drive home the point that Europe needs to start acting like adult nations, then success. Which I think is good. I think Europe's "daddy will always save us" attitude to military spending has always been embarrassing. On the topic of political leaders acting shamelessly. Which European countries have been doing since WW2 imho