President Donald Trump is considering offering every resident of Greenland an annual cash payout as part of his campaign to win over the island.
His administration has moved forward on a formal plan to acquire the Arctic island from Denmark, the New York Times reported, outlining the public relations campaign and other incentives the White House is considering.
One of those options is replacing the $600 million in subsidies that Denmark gives the island with an annual payment of about $10,000 per Greenlander.
Denmark insists the island is not for sale and cannot be annexed.
So the Trump administration is focusing on persuasion over coercion and working on a public relations campaign to convince the population of 57,000 that they should ask to join the United States.
That is likely to include advertising and social media campaigns to sway public opinion.
President Donald Trump has made it clear he wants Greenland
The administration is also looking at emphasizing Greenlanders’ shared heritage with the native Inuit people of Alaska, nearly 2,500 miles away. The island’s Inuit population is descended from people who migrated from Alaska hundreds of years ago.
And Trump officials believe what ever costs are spent to woo the islanders would be offset from new revenue extracted from Greenland’s natural resources, which include rare earth minerals, copper, gold, uranium and oil.
The president could have an uphill battle. Public opinion polls have been clear that Greenlanders don’t want to be part of America. In last month’s election, the winning party was one that favored total independence for the island.
Last month, Greenland’s new prime minister has a defiant message for President Trump.
The island does not ‘belong to anyone else,’ Jens-Frederik Nielsen said as the White House has got even more aggressive in its desire to annex the island.
Nielson, who took office last week after his Demokraatit Party won parliament elections, made it clear Greenland will stand against Trump.
‘Let me make this clear: The U.S. is not getting that. We don’t belong to anyone else. We decide our own future. We must not act out of fear. We must respond with peace, dignity and unity,’ he said in a statement.
‘And it is through these values that we must clearly, clearly and calmly show the American president that Greenland is ours. It was like that yesterday. That’s how it is today. And that’s how it will be in the future.’
His message came shortly after Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland with his wife Usha, stopping at Pituffik Space Base in northwest part of the island, in what many saw an ominous threat from the U.S.
Greenland’s new Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the island does not ‘belong to anyone else’
Jens-Frederik Nielsen (C-L), new Prime Minister of Greenland and leader of the Demokraatit party, and MPs take part in a procession from Hans Egede house to Nuuk Cathedral, where a service is held during the constituent assembly in the Greenlandic parliament
Trump, meanwhile, said last month he is ‘100%’ sure the U.S. will annex Greenland and wouldn’t rule out using military force to take the island.
‘We’ll get Greenland. Yeah, 100%,’ Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker, adding that there is a ‘good possibility that we could do it without military force’ but that he wouldn’t ‘take anything off the table.’
The president, when asked what taking the island would mean to the rest of the world, shrugged off the question.
‘I don’t really think about that. I don’t really care. Greenland’s a very separate subject, very different. It’s international peace. It’s international security and strength.’
The massive island in the Northern Atlantic is a territory of Denmark. But it’s become the center of an international storm as Trump wants it under the American flag and Russia President Vladimir Putin has raised concerns about the president’s territorial ambitions.
Danish and Greenlandic officials, backed by the European Union, have insisted the United States will not get Greenland.
Trump’s desire to take over the ice-covered territory, which is seeking independence from Denmark, has been categorically rejected by Greenlanders, their politicians and Danish officials.
The Vice President and the second lady eat with soldiers at the Pituffik Space Base
Vance, during his visit last month, said the White House thought it would ‘be able to cut a deal, Donald Trump-style, to ensure the security of this territory.’
The White House has argued it’s a matter of national security. Greenland holds a commanding position in the Arctic, as a buffer between North America and Russia.
It is strategically important for the U.S. military and its ballistic missile early-warning system can detect rocket launches from around the world.
Known as Thule Air Base until 2023, Pituffik Space Base served as a warning post for possible attacks from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Putin, however, declared that Russia is ‘watching very closely’ for Trump’s next move.
‘We are talking about serious plans on the American side with regard to Greenland. These plans have long-standing historical roots,’ Putin told the International Arctic Forum in the Russian city of Murmansk.
His use of the word ‘serious’ underscored how concerned the Kremlin is by the situation.
Putin said Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic, but is prepared to defend its interests, and will station more military personnel in the region.
Vance, during his visit, echoed Trump’s national security message.
‘This has to happen, and the reason, I hate to say it, is because our friends in Denmark have not done their job in keeping this area safe,’ he said.
‘Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view, to keep the people of Greenland safe,’ he added.
A dog sled race to determine which contestant attends the national competition in Greenland
While all of Greenland’s political parties are in favor of independence, none of them support the idea of joining the United States
While all of Greenland’s political parties are in favor of independence, none of them support the idea of joining the United States.
Greenland is believed to hold massive untapped mineral and oil reserves, though oil and uranium exploration are banned.
A 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark established a U.S. right to move around freely and construct military bases in Greenland as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified.
