He might have taken up a new job, but US President Donald Trump, a real estate mogul turned-politician, is reportedly back to his old ways and is now looking to buy Greenland, Denmark’s self-governing territory.

Trump’s half-joking, half-serious intent to lay his hands on Greenland, an icy and snowy land owned by Denmark, was reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing sources, on Thursday.

Trump “listened with interest” to his advisers discussing Greenland’s vast natural resources and its strategic location and has directed his White House counsel to study the issue in earnest, the sources said.

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Greenland, although geographically a part of North America, has been linked to Europe for centuries, located as it is between the Old and New Worlds.

Trump has reportedly been making noises about the US grabbing hold of the island since at least last spring, when he was quoted asking his associates at a private dinner what they thought about it becoming yet another state of the US.

“What do you guys think about that? Do you think it would work?” Trump said, according to a WSJ source. As he broached the subject, the real estate mogul turned-president told the gathering that he was informed that Greenland’s maintenance is too pricey for Denmark, which has to dole out large subsidies to keep its economy afloat.

While the source noted that Trump appeared to have been testing the waters rather than seriously pondering the issue, the mere mention of such a prospect “unleashed a cascade of questions among his advisers,” eyeing a US military buildup in the Arctic, the WSJ reported.

The bombshell report comes ahead of Trump’s visit to Denmark next month, although officials who spoke to the outlet argued that the topic would not be on the agenda. While neither the White House nor Copenhagen have commented on the report, it has triggered a torrent of mockery online and left many stupefied.

America: We need health insurance.GOP: But how are you going to pay for it?America: We need better schools.GOP: But how are you going to pay for it?America: We need climate reform.GOP: But how are you going to pay for it?Trump: I want to buy Greenland.GOP: yay! — Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) August 15, 2019

Some suggested it was just Trump’s cunning plan for dealing with climate change.

“This was a throw away climate change joke I had in my early live Trump Dump show, about how he would build golf courses in #Greenland . I cut it because it seemed too obvious and stupid. I was right,” one person said.





This was a throw away climate change joke I had in my early live Trump Dump show, about how he would build golf courses in #Greenland . I cut it because it seemed too obvious and stupid. I was right. https://t.co/L7uC77ijbH — Anthony Atamanuik (@TonyAtamanuik) August 15, 2019

Others reminded Trump that the US already has a military presence in Greenland at Thule Air Base, the US Air Force's northernmost base, and can do without buying the whole territory.

Trump heard his aides talking about how strategically important Greenland is for national security and got overexcited.Someone needs to tell him that we already have a treaty with Denmark that lets us run military bases in Greenland as needed. We don't need to "buy" it. https://t.co/WPn6RtmQdY — Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) August 15, 2019

While the anti-Trump resistance crowd tore into the president in its usual fashion, many took the idea more lightheartedly.

“Some look at Greenland and say ‘Why?’ Trump looks at Greenland and says ‘Why not?’” a user noted.

The Greenland Trump Tower and Casino will be the greatest Viking-themed casino in the world, many people are saying — Allahpundit (@allahpundit) August 15, 2019

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