President Trump on Sunday said that buying Greenland isn’t “No. 1 on the burner” but quipped that Denmark may want the US to take the world’s biggest island off its hands to save money.
“Well Greenland, I don’t know, it got released somehow, it’s just something we talked about,” Trump told reporters as he left his Bedminster resort to return to Washington, referencing a Friday Wall Street Journal article about the president’s flirtation with buying Greenland.
“Denmark, essentially, owns it. We’re very good allies with Denmark, we protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world. And so the concept came up and I said certainly, strategically it’s interesting. And we’d be interested.”
Trump then suggested that Greenland was “hurting Denmark very badly” throwing out the figure that it cost the Danish government “$700 million.”
“So they carry it at a great loss. And strategically for the United States it would be nice,” Trump added.
The Danish have said that Greenland — which is semi-autonomous and has its own government — isn’t for sale.
The president said he might visit Denmark when he heads to Poland at the beginning of next month.
“Not for this reason at all,” he said of the Denmark visit. “But we’re looking at it. It’s not No. 1 on the burner,” he said.
Trump’s tarmac talk Sunday firm up comments made earlier in the day by his top economic adviser Larry Kudlow.
Kudlow said he didn’t want to predict an outcome, but added, “I’m just saying the president, who knows a thing or two about buying real estate, wants to take a look at a Greenland purchase.”
Trump pointed out the same thing.
“Essentially it’s a large real estate deal,” he said. “But we’ll talk to them a little bit.”
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