Former President Donald J. Trump’s burgeoning enthusiasm for acquiring territory for the United States witnessed renewed vigor with his pronounced interest in Greenland. While some border on speculation as to his motivations, a primary reason appears to be his perception of the significant geographical size of this self-governing territory.
Upon examination of most maps, Greenland’s expansiveness may be misconstrued due to a unique phenomenon known as the Mercator projection. This mapping technique often depicts land masses further from the equator as larger than their true sizes. Consequently, Greenland often appears roughly equal in size to Africa, although in reality, it measures about 14 times smaller.
The size of Greenland, in actuality, mirrors that of the Democratic Republic of Congo, albeit slightly smaller. Not one to shy away from bold ambitions, Trump rekindled the idea of acquiring Greenland during his presidency. As a seasoned real estate mogul, he likened his desire for Greenland to procuring strategic locations in urban landscapes.
As Trump eloquently stated, ‘When you’re a developer and you see a prime location, you think, ‘I need that spot for the skyscraper I’m erecting.’ Greenland isn’t much different.’ His passion for cartography also fueled this interest. ‘I always thought, ‘Look how immense it is. It should be a part of the U.S.,” he expressed.
In 2019, Trump likened the potential purchase to a large-scale property transaction, demonstrating a pragmatic yet visionary perspective. Occupying about a quarter of the United States’ size at 836,000 square miles, Greenland could indeed be considered quite a ‘real estate deal’.
According to renowned geography expert Mark Serreze, while Greenland is the world’s largest island, it is significantly smaller than the contiguous United States. He noted that, ‘Any individual harbouring the misconception that Greenland is as depicted on Mercator projections might benefit from a refresher course in geography’.
The contest for Arctic territory has heightened in recent years due to bountiful natural resources and strategically valuable transit lanes. Scores of nations appear to be in a frenzied race to annex territories in these regions in a bid for abundant natural reserves. Greenland is rich in resources such as cobalt, gold, silver copper, nickel, and uranium.
Greenland, home to a humble populace of 56,000, boasts a population slightly lower than that of Hoboken, New Jersey. It is a territory of Denmark since the 18th century where it gained home rule in 1979 and self-governance in 2009. There is also a significant American military base on this cold yet resource-rich island.
Trump’s intrigue towards Greenland was not an impromptu fascination, as he contemplated its purchase during his administration. His determination to secure the territory only grew stronger throughout his presidency. He even hinted at leveraging military or economic pressure, not as a threat but as a negotiation tactic, to convince Denmark to cede Greenland.
With his relentless pursuit of tactical territorial expansion, Trump revived his plan to annex Greenland, citing global security concerns and international freedom as substantial motivators. He substantiated his assertion by stating, ‘For the sake of global security and liberty, the U.S. believes that gaining control of Greenland is profoundly necessary.’
Trump’s engagement with this initiative was personally vested, and this was evident from his visit to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. While this visit was described as a private venture, it was clearly a step forward in his journey to expand America’s territorial tableau. Danish authorities did not meet with him during this visit.
On the other side, Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, reaffirmed Greenland’s sovereignty, quoting Prime Minister Múte Egede’s stance that ‘Greenland is not for sale and won’t be in the future.’ Despite this, Trump’s dogged pursuit remained resolute, asserting, ‘This is a deal that must go through.’
Responding to this discourse, Mark Serreze expressed his incredulousness at the proposition, advising, ‘No one should take this matter lightly. Greenland is a constituent of Denmark’s kingdom and exercising any form of aggressive acquisition is ludicrous since Denmark is a NATO member.’
Despite such apprehensions, a German oceanographer unaffiliated with the situation suggested using more accurate map projections. He felt that the widely circulated Mercator projections might falsely motivate ambitious pursuits like annexing Greenland.
Undeterred by these varying viewpoints, Trump also jokingly mentioned that the U.S. should consider welcoming Canada as the ’51st state.’ These statements are prime examples of Trump’s audacious yet astute thought processes, that effortlessly turned the traditional ways of thinking upside down. Owing to the Mercator projection, Canada appears larger than it truly is.
Regardless of varying global opinions, one thing stands clear – Trump’s ambition for territorial expansion remains unparalleled. The audacity to envision territories like Greenland and Canada as part of the United States is testament to his drive to see America occupy an ever loftier status on the world stage.