WASHINGTON – Speaking to reporters on the White House South Lawn on Wednesday, President Donald Trump called Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen "nasty" and "not very nice" after she rebuked discussions about a sale of Greenland to the U.S.

"All she had to do was say no," Trump said, adding that Frederiksen was "not very nice" in her refusal.

“She’s not talking to me. She’s talking to the United States of America," Trump said.

Trump also commented on the original idea to buy Greenland, which functions as a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.

"It was just an idea. Just a thought," Trump said.

His interest in buying the island had been reported in media outlets last week, and Trump had said last Sunday, "We’re looking at it.”

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Trump had originally planned to visit Denmark on Sept. 2 and 3 during a planned trip to Europe but wrote on Twitter on Tuesday evening, he would be "postponing" their meeting because of "Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland."

Earlier Wednesday at a press conference, Frederiksen said she was "disappointed and surprised" by Trump's cancellation.

She noted that a sale of Greenland "has clearly been rejected" but hoped to further cooperate with the U.S. government on Arctic issues.

The Danish royal palace also responded. Lene Balleby, a spokesperson for the Danish royal palace, told the Associated Press that Trump's cancellation was "a surprise" to them, though she did not give any other comments.