US Politics
Buying Greenland could cost US $700 billion – but only one in five Americans wants it
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
President Donald Trump’s plans to acquire Greenland could reportedly cost $700 billion, despite it being deeply unpopular with Americans.
Trump has vowed that he would take over the Danish territory “one way or the other,” a statement officials from Denmark and Greenland have vehemently rejected.
The $700 billion price tag is an estimate crunched by scholars and former U.S. officials for planning purposes, and is more than half the Defense Department’s annual budget, according to NBC News.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been tasked with developing a proposal to purchase Greenland that will be put to the president in the coming weeks, a senior White House official told the outlet. Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are due to meet with officials from Denmark and Greenland in Washington, D.C. Wednesday.
The Trump administration continues to push forward on its plan to add Greenland to the U.S. despite outrage from European leaders. Now, a new poll also shows that Trump’s plan is unpopular with Americans – with nearly 75 percent saying using military force to take the island was a bad idea.
open image in gallery
In response to the poll, Anna Kelly, deputy White House press secretary, said that Trump is “always generating creative ideas to bolster national security” and echoed Trump’s claim that Greenland faces threats from Russia and China.
“Many of this President’s predecessors recognized the strategic logic of acquiring Greenland, but only President Trump has had the courage to pursue this idea seriously,” Kelly said in a statement to The Independent. “As the President said, NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the United States, and Greenlanders would be better served if protected by the United States from modern threats in the Arctic region.”
Trump warned in a Wednesday Truth Social post that if America doesn’t acquire Greenland, “Russia or China will.”
“The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building,” Trump said. “NATO should be leading the way for us to get it. IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!”
The move is not a popular one with Americans, with just 17 percent approving of Trump’s efforts to acquire the mineral-rich island, according to polling published Wednesday by Reuters/Ipsos.
Some 47 percent of Americans disapproved, while 35 percent were unsure. And 71 percent of Americans — including nine in 10 Democrats and six in 10 Republicans — said using military force to achieve Trump’s goal was a “bad idea,” compared to 4 percent who said it would be a “good idea.”
open image in gallery
The polling found 66 percent of Americans said they were worried the plans to take over Greenland would damage the NATO alliance and the U.S. alliance with Europe.
Officials from Greenland and Denmark have held firm that the territory is not available to buy.
“We are not for sale and that we will not be annexed,” Jess Berthelsen, chair of Greenland’s national trade union confederation SIK, told The Guardian.
Berthelsen said the people of Greenland “can’t recognize” claims made by Trump that the territory “is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
“His claims about our waters being full of Russian and Chinese ships, we cannot see that at all,” the union leader told the outlet.
