by Jeffrey Porter

According to the Wall Street Journal, President Trump has discussed with varying degrees of seriousness the idea of the U.S. buying Greenland, the world’s biggest island.

WASHINGTON—President Trump made his name on the world’s most famous island. Now he wants to buy the world’s biggest.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-eyes-a-new-real-estate-purchase-greenland-11565904223

Greenland is an ice-covered autonomous Danish territory between the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. According to the report, Trump has asked advisers whether it would be possible for the U.S. to acquire the island.

According to the report, people familiar with the situation said that President Trump has asked his White House counsel to look into the idea.

According to Brookings.edu, Greenland holds potential for many natural resources, including zinc, lead, gold, iron ore, heavy and light rare earth elements, copper and oil.

The report also states that the U.S. officials view Greenland as an important aspect of U.S. national-security interests. Due to a defense treaty between the U.S. and Denmark, the U.S. military has nearly unlimited rights in Greenland.

China has made several efforts to gain an economic presence on the island, according to the report. In 2018, the pentagon blocked China from financing three airports in Greenland.

The island has a population of about 56,000 people and is a self-ruling part of Denmark. Greenland heavily relies on subsidies from Denmark to make up its annual budget.

Some advisers supported the idea, while others dismissed it as unrealistic. The WSJ report states it is unclear how the U.S. would proceed in acquiring Greenland if they are seriously considering it.