Trump's Greenland

[Wayward Son]

As we snickered about Trump wanting to buy Greenland from Denmark in the Freedom Gas! thread.  We recognized that it was a silly idea, or as my favorite response said, "The thought of Denmark selling 50,000 citizens to the United States is completely ridiculous."

Apparently Donald Trump didn't think it was ridiculous.  He cancelled a planned trip to Denmark because of it.

Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time...

The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!

IOW, if we're not going to talk about selling Greenland to the U.S., we have nothing to talk about. 

It's one thing to float a silly idea, just to see if there is any interest in it.  We can laugh about it, but there's little harm done.

It's quite another to snub another country, an ally no less, because they won't consider a wild idea which they are under no obligation to even consider.

I imagine this would be the equivalent of someone being invited over for dinner, who then later says, "Oh, great, we can talk about you selling your pet dog to me while I'm over there."  When the family tells him their dog is not for sale, he responses, "Well, if you have no interest in selling your dog, I guess I'll postpone the dinner for another time." 

IMHO, this is the most momentously stupid reason to postpone a diplomatic trip that I have ever heard.

Would anyone care to argue that this wasn't one of the most stupid moves in recent history?  That this was the most petty excuse for cancelling an official trip in our memories?  That there is no logical, reasonable defense of this unforced diplomatic faux pas, and that the man who did it is a complete incompetent?

If so, please state your reasons.  I would love to hear them!

[D.W.]

When Putin tells you to snub a NATO ally, you snub a NATO ally.    Maybe the ridiculous cover story is his way of acting out against his blackmailers.   

[JoshuaD]

I mean, buying Alaska worked out great for us.  I knew it was a joke from the beginning, but if we could actually buy Greenland I'd probably be behind it. :-P

[TheDrake]

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark...

[scifibum]

Great analogy, WS.

[TheDrake]

He added: "She's not talking to me. She's talking to the United States of America. You don't talk to the United States that way, at least under me."

Ohhhh kay.

I think Denmark should offer to buy Rhode Island and see how that goes down. Thing is, Rhode Island might want to take them up on it...

[TheDeamon]

He added: "She's not talking to me. She's talking to the United States of America. You don't talk to the United States that way, at least under me."

Ohhhh kay.

I think Denmark should offer to buy Rhode Island and see how that goes down. Thing is, Rhode Island might want to take them up on it...

Or New AmsterdamYork for that matter, although the Netherlands would be one that should be getting talked to about that one.

[Seriati]

I mean  the deal would have to be approved by the people of Greenland.  If the people of Greenland want to become part of the US, or even their own country should the Dutch be able to stop them?

This is one of those tenants of the UN - the right of self determination - that's been paid lip service to over the years but has never been enforced.

So if the US is to "buy" Greenland, what would it actually entail?  A payment to Holland, an agreement that they will legally support the decision of the Greenlanders and implement any required changes, and a vote by those people?  If all that occurs, why would anyone object?

[TheDeamon]

If all that occurs, why would anyone object?

Orange man bad. 

I'm sort of curious what brought on the whole "I want to buy Greenland" thing anyway? Did he receive a briefing about renegotiating (military) basing rights there or something?

[cherrypoptart]

Trump still could have met with them to be polite even after they refused to entertain his fancy, but on the broader point I support buying some more real estate for America. And putting the feelers out there might get some offers from another country. Probably not. It's a long shot. But worth a shot. And we wouldn't have to buy all of Greenland. Maybe just a relatively small uninhabited slice. Or wipe out the debt of Greece with the purchase of just one of their cool little islands, maybe even one they aren't using that much of right now, and of course anyone there gets paid fair value for their land plus becomes an instant millionaire with that country's equivalent of the power of eminent domain to move them. It could be a little piece of another country too, that we would develop and use to attract tourists too which would hopefully help their economy by spillover tourism, for instance on a little piece of land in Latin America somewhere; maybe even pick a piece currently controlled by the most violent gangs or drug cartels and once we own it we go in and clean it out, develop it, build some skyscrapers to rival the Burj Khalifa with relatively well paid for them and relatively inexpensive local labor for us that gains them useful construction experience to use on their own country's projects once they are done with ours.

There could even be an immigration angle for instance with Honduras or Nicaragua or El Salvador or all three with a deal that if they sell us some land then all of their citizens currently in the U.S. illegally will get a path to American citizenship, just to sweeten the pot. Or maybe make a deal to allow dual citizenship between the countries like we have with the Swiss and a few others.  We open up some American universities there that host mostly foreigners to let them perfect their English and get a good education without even having to worry about the illegal immigrant visa overstay angle many who come here like to play. We build factories there on American soil paying taxes to the American Treasury but that employ the citizens of the country that sold us the land to help alleviate the problems of people who would have become economic migrants. They don't have to send their poor to us for jobs here. We'll send America there and create the jobs in a more convenient location for them. I think it'd  be a great idea to acquire some new American territory and it would be a boon to whatever country sold it to us. This is another case though where Trump is just putting out there an idea I had on my own long before he was a politician. We grow the pie.

[TheDrake]

So if the US is to "buy" Greenland, what would it actually entail?  A payment to Holland, an agreement that they will legally support the decision of the Greenlanders and implement any required changes, and a vote by those people?  If all that occurs, why would anyone object?

Holland. So are you really so stupid that you can't tell the difference between The Netherlands and Norway? I'll accept your apology and move on.

[D.W.]

Why?  Climate change is a hoax, but...  We see some totally unrelated investment opportunities a bit north of us. 

[Seriati]

Holland. So are you really so stupid that you can't tell the difference between The Netherlands and Norway? I'll accept your apology and move on.

Lol, that's on me!  I apologize.

[rightleft22]

The interest in Greenland may have something to do with China's interest in Greenland.
That the administration sees strategic valued in Greenland ins't and with the changes happening in the northwest passage it makes sense.
If Trump was serious he failed to follow the precepts outlined in the art of the deal. Its also possible this is a shot across the bow reminding Greenland/Norway not to flirt with other dance partners. 

[TheDrake]

I wonder why China might like to see a superpower take over an island of strategic importance? 

[alai]

So if the US is to "buy" Greenland, what would it actually entail?  A payment to Holland, an agreement that they will legally support the decision of the Greenlanders and implement any required changes, and a vote by those people?  If all that occurs, why would anyone object?

Holland. So are you really so stupid that you can't tell the difference between The Netherlands and Norway? I'll accept your apology and move on.

I might be missing the joke here, but did you just confuse Norway and Denmark, in the midst of chiding someone for confusing the Dutch and the Danes (and/or Norway and the Netherlands)?  Potentially unwise, they can get a tad upset about that.  Source:  Scandinavia and the World cartoons.  But I must apologise on behalf of Europe, we do have a lot of countries.

The interest in Greenland may have something to do with China's interest in Greenland.
That the administration sees strategic valued in Greenland ins't and with the changes happening in the northwest passage it makes sense.
If Trump was serious he failed to follow the precepts outlined in the art of the deal. Its also possible this is a shot across the bow reminding Greenland/Norway not to flirt with other dance partners.

To be fair to Trump on that point, it's unlikely he's even read The Art of the Deal.  Common practice though it is for celebrity 'authors" not to have written their book.

Whether he was serious or not seems deeply unanswerable, including by himself.  On the one hand, he clearly rates himself as a comedian.  On the other, he's spectacularly quick to take offence if he's not treated with utmost deference at all times.   Dealing with such a person is a real Kobayashi Maru.

[Wayward Son]

Whadya know?  Turns out buying Greenland wasn't some crazy notion Trump came up with.

It was a crazy notion that Robert Lauer, the Estée Lauder heir, talked the Donald into pursing. 

(Not that actually buying Greenland would have been that wacky a thing, but pursing it so much when Denmark wasn't interested was certainly one of the zaniest events in Trump's circus-like Presidency.  )