Greenland responded Friday to President Trump’s reported interest in buying the massive island: Thanks for your interest, but we’re not on the market.
“We’re open for business, but not for sale,” Greenland’s foreign affairs ministry tweeted.
The posting alluded to Greenland’s fine natural resources and features, including minerals, the “purest water and ice,” seafood and its potential for renewable energy production and tourism.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Mr. Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in purchasing the autonomous territory from Denmark.
The report sparked intrigue and whimsy online, including photo-shopped images of a big Trump Tower amid a quiet fishing village.
Lars Lokke Rasmussen, a Danish political leader, tweeted it “must be an April Fool’s Joke,” though “totally” out of season.
Parties across the Danish political spectrum have blasted the idea of selling Denmark, with Danish conservatives calling the plan “ridiculous” and the Inuit Ataqatigiit party saying Greenland is better off with Denmark.
“If he is truly contemplating this, then this is final proof, that he has gone mad,” Danish People’s Party spokesman Soren Espersen said on a Danish broadcast. “The thought of Denmark selling 50,000 citizens to the United States is completely ridiculous.”
Parliament member Aaja Chemnitz Larsen of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party said: “I am sure a majority in Greenland believes it is better to have a relation to Denmark than the United States, in the long term. My immediate thought is ’No, thank you,’”
Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Rufus Gifford also dismissed the plan.
“Oh dear lord. As someone who loves Greenland, has been there 9 times to every corner and loves the people, this is a complete and total catastrophe,” he tweeted.
“I was Ambassador to Denmark which means I was Ambassador to Greenland. It is remarkably pristine and complex. A place unlike any other corner of the planet. It simply must be handled with immense care and the best intentions for the people there and the global climate,” he added. “If anyone believes Trump has either in mind, please reconsider your reality.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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