The Trump administration is reportedly analyzing the actual cost of annexing Greenland as President Donald Trump maintains his intention of absorbing the territory.
Concretely, The Washington Post reported that this is the most concrete effort by the administration to move forward with the issue, as officials are seeking to determine the financial impact of such an outcome, including providing government services for the almost 60,000 residents of the semi-autonomous territory.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the outlet added that staff at the White House budget office is also seeking to estimate the revenue the U.S. would get from Greenland and its resources. One official said a possibility is offering residents more subsidies than Denmark, which currently stand at some $600 million a year. "The point is, we'll pay you more than Denmark does," said the official, who spoke in the condition of anonymity.
Trump and other officials have kept the issue at the forefront of the conversation, with Trump saying during the weekend that the U.S. will "get" Greenland and that the use of force is not ruled out. There is a "good possibility that we could do it without military force," Trump said, later refusing to "take anything off the table."
Greenland residents are soundly opposing the move, but U.S. officials continue to move forward, with Vice President JD Vance visiting the territory last Friday. Speaking at the Pituffik Space Base on the island's northwestern coast, Vance said that "the story of Greenland over the past 20 years when it comes to security is that we've underinvested in the infrastructure."
Vance went on to note that when he initially made similar statements "there was a lot of criticism from Denmark for saying the obvious, which is that Denmark has not done a good job at keeping Greenland safe." He then acknowledged Denmark's past military cooperation with the United States but dismissed its relevance to the current security situation.
"Recognizing that there are important security partnerships in the past does not mean that we can't have disagreements with allies in the present about how to preserve our shared security for the future, and that's what this is about. There is no amount of bullying, no amount of obfuscating, no amount of confusing the issue. Our message to Denmark is very simple: you have not done a good job by the people of Greenland"
The visit to the U.S. military installation came amid controversy over the original itinerary. Usha Vance had initially planned a cultural visit, but protests and political tensions led to a shift in plan, as CNN reports. The White House has denied that the change was influenced by planned demonstrations, instead citing logistical concerns and Greenland's ongoing government formation.
Denmark's Foreign Minister criticized the visit, especially its "tone." Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a publication that "we agree that status quo in the Arctic is not an option. So let's talk about how we can fix it - together."
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