Donald Trump is somehow still harping on his vanity projects to acquire Greenland and Canada, and every day, the trolling feels more real.
In a Truth Social post Monday night, the president-elect published some propaganda to make it seem as if the people of Greenland were completely onboard with his plan to acquire the world’s largest island.
“I am hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA,’” Trump wrote. “My son, Don Jr, and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights. Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”
It’s not clear that Trump’s oldest son has any plans to meet with officials while in Greenland, but it’s always nice to share your kid’s vacation plans.
Beneath the post, Trump shared the video of an unidentified man in a MAGA hat urging Trump to buy Greenland. “We don’t want to be colonized by the Danish government anymore,” the man said, as he requested a new colonizer.
“We are the richest nation in the world, and we don’t get to use it! Denmark’s using us too much,” he continued, implying that through purchase, the wealth of Denmark would somehow return to Greenland’s small population of 57,000 people and not disappear into the imperialist machine Trump hopes to steer.
Greenland has long sought independence from Denmark, and all of Trump’s ramblings about buying the place seem to have revitalized that conversation. But that doesn’t mean the people of Greenland would have any interest in becoming part of the United States. Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede recently expressed his desire for “ownership and control” over the island, but reiterated that the country isn’t for sale.
Meanwhile, billionaire technocrat Elon Musk cheered Trump’s efforts to convince people that Greenland wants to be part of the U.S., writing in a post on X, “The people of Greenland should decide their future and I think they want to be part of America!”
It’s worth noting that Musk owns the exact kind of popular opinion machine that might work to generate this kind of sentiment, and Trump has a tendency to turn his tedious trolling into reality through sheer repetition and normalization.
Trump’s idea to acquire the territory, which is not only of great strategic importance to the U.S. but contains a wealth of natural resources and minerals, isn’t popular with everyone.
Jim Townsend, a former senior Pentagon official who worked on NATO and Arctic defense policy, told Politico that Trump’s statements are resulting in a diplomatic headache. “Pissing everybody off by saying we’re just going to buy them outright really bruises our bilateral relationship with the Danes and more importantly ruins any kind of way for us to work this out with Greenlanders,” said Townsend.
Trump also doubled down on his outlandish pitch to make Canada the fifty-first state of the U.S. Monday, following the news that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would be resigning.
Canadian M.P. Charlie Angus was quick to nip Trump’s trolling in the bud. “Canada has something called democracy. It means the leader is accountable to Parliament and can be replaced,” he wrote. “I bet Americans wish they had that now.
“And convicted sexual abusers don’t get to lead our nation. We’re decent folk,” Angus said. “Ps. Button up. We’re sending frigid cold your way. love Canada.”
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