Donald Trump news: Why does Trump REALLY want to buy Greenland?

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Donald Trump has confirmed he is considering trying to buy Greenland but has said it is “not number one on the burner”. When the idea was first reported, it triggered a wealth of jokes at the President’s expense on social media, and indignation from both Greenland and Denmark. The government of Greenland - a semi-autonomous Danish territory - stated it was not for sale and the Danish prime minister said any mention of purchase was “absurd”.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Sunday told newspaper Sermitsiaq: “Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish. Greenland belongs to Greenland. “I strongly hope that this is not meant seriously.” President Trump confirmed interest in buying Greenland on Sunday, telling reporters: “We are good allies with Denmark, we protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world, and the concept came up. “Strategically it’s interesting, and we would be interested, but we will talk with them a little bit. “It’s not number one on the burner, I can tell you that.” Read More: Trump's new warships 'increases risk of global conflict'

Donald Trump news: Mr Trump has been considering buying Greenland he says

Why does Donald Trump want to buy Greenland? 1. A land rich in resources The ice sheet in Greenland is melting and could reveal land rich and valuable resources. Gold, copper, diamonds, olivine, marble, rubies and oil could all be buried beneath the ice sheets in Greenland. The island also has some of the largest deposits of rare-earth metals, including praseodymium, dysprosium, neodymium and terbium - as well as uranium. With the ice melting, these could become more accessible. Read More: Trump warned Turkey punishment could 'hand Middle East to China'

2. It is “a large real estate deal” Speaking in New Jersey on Sunday Mr Trump said: “Well a lot of things can be done. “Essentially it’s a large real estate deal. A lot of things can be done.” A quarter the size of the US, buying the island would establish Mr Trump’s place in the history books, alongside President Andrew Johnson, and Thomas Jefferson. Mr Johnson secured Alaska from Russia in 1876, and Mr Jefferson bought Louisiana from France in 1803. Read More: South China Sea: Beijing warns US 'will bear all consequences'

Donald Trump news: The island is a semi-autonomous Danish territory

3. To aid Denmark The US president claimed on Sunday that ownership of Greenland was “hurting Denmark very badly because they’re losing almost $700m a year carrying it. “So they carry it at a great loss and strategically for the United States it would be very nice and we’re a big ally of Denmark, we protect Denmark and we help Denmark and we will.” It is not known how much this venture would cost - but when President Harry Truman offered to buy the island in 1946 he offered $100million (£82.36million). Today this would equate to around $1.3billion (£1.07billion). Read More: Scottish fishermen at risk as Iceland & Greenland plot to target UK

Donald Trump news: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Greenland is not for sale

4. Lessening China’s presence on the island The Thule Air Base is currently located on the north-western coast of Greenland, and this belongs to the USA. This base is where Air Force officers who belong to the 12th Space Warning Squadron use radars to detect missiles and undertake space surveillance. Greenland’s place within the Arctic Circle makes it an ideal location to track intercontinental missiles and satellites. China has expressed an interest in buying the island, and in fact, Shenghe Resources Holdings is the largest shareholder in an Australian company - Greenland Minerals- with an 11 percent stake.



Donald Trump news: The ongoing trade war with China may have increased Mr Trumps interest in Greenland