Somewhere in the four-year haze of a near-constant stream of news stories about absurd things Donald Trump said or did while president was a time it seemed like the leader of the free world really did want to buy an entire country on a whim. In 2019, Trump reportedly tried to put in motion a plan to buy Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory that happens to be the largest island in the world.
The reaction was mostly confusion, but as it turned out the reports that Trump was interested in buying another country were very true. Which is why an official state visit to Greenland in 2021 would come with some, well, questions.
Joined my counterparts from Denmark and Greenland for a short hike at Black Ridge near the Greenland Ice Sheet. This unique and beautiful landscape highlights the urgency of #climateaction. We must act quickly so future generations can experience these wonders of our planet. pic.twitter.com/L8IS01jofv
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 20, 2021
According to Reuters, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently on a tour of Greenland, where he’s met with a variety of officials from the vast island. And on Thursday at a press conference an interesting question popped up: is America still in the market for a very icy island?
Sitting beside Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, Greenland’s premier, Mute Egede, and Foreign Minister Pele Broberg during a news conference, Blinken confirmed to a reporter it was “correct” that the United States does not seek to buy the country.
From the report it seems that the question, while serious, was handled with a bit of humor. But it does put to rest a period of real diplomatic tension between the two groups. Even if there was little chance Greenland was up for sale, it was one of the many minor stresses on American foreign policy in the Trump era. But all that’s behind us now, apparently.
Broberg said on Wednesday there was speculation about Greenland because of its strategic importance but said Blinken’s visit was “not considered a real estate deal.”
“A real estate deal means land with nothing on it, nobody on it. Secretary Blinken has made it clear that he’s here for the people living in the Arctic, for the people living in Greenland,” said Broberg.
Even when Trump had the authority, at least in theory, to purchase an entire nation full of people on behalf of the United States, there was little chance of that ever actually happening. But at least that’s one of the many things that happened during his presidency we can all put behind us. At least this one we can laugh at for a little bit without feeling too guilty.
[via Reuters]